I made my decision, “I choose the major boon of Eolia and the minor boon of animals from Tabiea.”

The figures all bowed in my direction and nine of them began to fade away slowly until only Eolia and Tabiea were left.

Eolia turned to Tabiea and extended her hand, palm up, toward me, “Tabiea, if you’d prefer to go first?”

The Goddess of Nature, Animals, and Agriculture nodded before speaking, “I don’t get picked very often. People hear about war and death and beauty and all that other stuff and they overlook the rest of us. Why did you pick animals instead of one of those?”

I took a deep breath before answering, “I…I don’t know if I can articulate it very well. I grew up with all sorts of animals on the farm. When I was younger I used to catch snakes and lizards. Mom always made me let them go, but I’ve always liked all kinds of animals. My family always joked that I liked animals better than people. They weren’t wrong. Animals don’t complicate things as much as people do.”

Seeing Tabiea nod, I continued, “I probably should have chosen something like battle or death, but…I just didn’t want to. If this whole thing is a reward then I’m going to pick things that I want because I want them. Not because they sound like they’re going to make me powerful.”

Tabiea cocked her head to the side as she looked at me. It felt like an eternity as she looked at me almost quizzically before she grinned and spoke.

“I like that answer. I like it a lot,” she said, before turning to face Eolia, “I’m modifying his animal boon a bit, based on his answer.”

Eolia nodded, “That is indeed within your rights. Karlus, do you have any objection to the modification of your minor boon, based upon your answer?”

I shook my head and said, “This is all based on trust, right? Give me what you think I need. I’m going into this blind and I don’t really have much choice but to trust you. Both of you.”

Her grin from earlier returned, even brighter than before. “Normally, choosing animals as a boon means you can talk to them. That’s a potent boon by itself, but I think we can do better based on your answer. Instead…Henceforth, any animal that would cause you harm without provocation, or that would view you as prey, will instead ignore you. Any animal that would ignore you will be more inclined to be friendly. Any animal that views you as a predator will not be disturbed by your presence unless provoked. Of course, any hostile actions you take will prompt them to defend themselves. Additionally, you will be able to form a familiar bond with no more than one animal at a time and influence their development. That should be generalized enough to work on just about any world you pick.”

I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t upset about not being able to speak with animals, because having her take that away was a bit of a disappointment. However, being able to walk through a field of lions might be handy one day.

“That sounds amazing. Thank you,” I said, “but can you explain what a familiar bond is?”

“You won’t be able to understand or be understood by your familiar with speech, but you’ll form an emotional bond. Think of it like an empathic bond. You’ll know if they’re hurt, tired, hungry, bored, and so forth. I’m going to leave the boon…open, for lack of a better word, so that Eolia can tie it into your boon for Magic, so as you grow in power your familiar will as well. I’m sorry, Karlus, but doing that is going to hurt a little. Not for very long, I promise. Is that ok? Or would you prefer I make it self-contained?” She asked.

In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought to myself. “After my statement earlier about trust? I trust you. Can’t hurt much worse than dying,” I said.

She stepped forward until she was a few feet away and gave me a wry smile before she spoke, “You’d be surprised. Now brace yourself. Thank you again for picking me, Karlus.”

Her hand reached out and tapped me lightly on the forehead and my world dissolved into agony. It almost felt like she was electrocuting my brain while it was submerged in a vat of acid, only less pleasant. I could feel the tendrils of something inside my head, coiling up and settling in, each movement setting off a new wave of agony. Then something between my brain and the power Tabiea was pushing into it just clicked and as suddenly as it started, the pain vanished, and I fell to my hands and knees panting, trying to catch my breath. By the time I managed to open my eyes Tabiea had vanished, and Eolia was still standing in the same place.

Eolia looked and me and lifted an eyebrow. “Most would have passed out because of that. You have a strong will. That will bode well for your major boon of magic. Are you ready to choose your world?”

“Not if getting zapped with your powers is going to be as unpleasant as her doing it,” I managed to gasp.

She looked amused, “My boon will be bestowed upon you during the transfer to your new world. Some of the boons are more…weighty than others. Mine is one such. In order to give you a portion of my powers I must completely remake your body lest you be consumed by the raw power of magic. Such remaking can be uncomfortable, and it is best that you not be conscious during the process. It does carry some ancillary benefits, however.”

Something in her expression made me wary. “Ancillary benefits, huh? For me, or for you?”

Her expression never wavered as she replied with a deadpan tone, “Both of us. I can rebuild you. Better. Stronger. Faster. I have the technology.”

Maybe it was the stress of finding out that I was dead(-ish?) or that I was going to be reborn in another world, but the random pop culture reference and delivery caught me off guard and I gave a half-snort half-laugh tinged with overtones of hysteria. “Lee Majors was a little before my time.”

“Yes, he was. You still laughed though. Seriously, relax Karlus, you’re wound up tighter than an eight-day clock.” She replied.

“My grandfather used to say that. I still haven’t figured out what it means.” I said. I sat on the top step of the dais and leaned against the stone platform that I had woken up on. “It’s just so much to take in. You, uh, people, don’t make it an easy transition. I died and now I have what is being touted as such an incredible opportunity and all I can think about is how much I want to go back and finish lunch. And it’s not like I can fact-check any of you or google “trans-dimensional travel” or whatever this is. It’s all really intimidating. This room doesn’t help. You might want to address that the next time you have a Jumpspark pop up. Maybe add a splash of color or not appear like…” I trailed off, worried. Maybe venting on an actual deity wasn’t my best idea.

Eolia smiled warmly. “I understand that it’s overwhelming. Mortals have a linear view of life, time, and space. That’s not a slight against you, either. It’s a viewpoint shaped by your perspective. Being plopped down in front of a dozen entities that introduce themselves as gods must be the weirdest part of your life so far. Now that the others are gone, I can do something about the room though.”

She snapped her fingers. That’s all it took to transform the entire room into a perfect replica of a study room I used in college. When you have a roommate that didn’t do much beyond play video games and skip class it becomes almost impossible to study in your room. By the end of my first semester I had found a small study room in the library that nobody else seemed to use. It wasn’t big, but there was enough space for a few people without feeling cramped. After swiping a small table and a few chairs from one of the lounge areas I had managed to turn it into a rather cozy study area. I always had a sneaking suspicion that the library staff knew I’d appropriated the furniture in the room from another area, but they didn’t press the issue when the room started seeing regular use. After introducing a few classmates to it when working on group projects it became the unofficial hangout for several of my friends. Call it nerdy to have a hangout in the library if you want, it got me through school.

“Holy shit,” I breathed out. Rather than leaning back against the stone platform I was seated in the overstuffed chair I had claimed as my own in the study room. Standing up, I wandered around the room. It was a perfect re-creation. The stupid “Hang in there” kitten poster was still on the wall. One of the other three chairs still sported an ink stain on the seat where my friend Paul had spilled a fountain pen refill. It even smelled the same, a mixture of old books, a slight tang of mildew, and the colognes and perfumes we all wore. Even Eolia’s outfit had changed. Before she was wearing what appeared to be an evening gown that was formed from energy and had her hair arranged in an intricate looking braid. Now she was sporting what my friends and I had referred to as “the second semester sophomore” look. Hair in a ponytail, leggings, and a sweatshirt. Comfortable, functional, and not designed to impress.

“Karlus, let me tell you a secret. It’s normal to be nervous. I’ve had a dozen Jumpsparks request my major boon and none of them were gung-ho from the very start. Well, most of them weren’t. All of them had questions. Each of the powers has a different process for their Sparks. Some think that it’s best to just push you out of the nest and watch you fly. I’m almost completely positive that Zeoni sleeps with all of her Sparks before she selects the world that will become their new home.”

“Looking at her that might actually make death worth it.” I winced internally. I had not meant to say that out loud. I looked back at Eolia, a bit afraid that I’d caused offense.

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She raised an eyebrow at me before beginning to fiddle with a projector that had just appeared on the table. “Don’t get too jealous. After she wears her Sparks out in bed, she convinces them to let her pick their new home. Chaos might not be in her portfolio but any Jumpspark that selects her major boons invariably sparks off conflict that makes the Trojan War on Earth look like a tiff between toddlers. All for the thrill of beauty and love. Don’t misunderstand, she’s not evil. None of us really are, not even Haine and Pete. It’s easier if you think of us as our aspects. You saw the good side of Tabiea; she wasn’t kidding when she said she wasn’t often chosen by Jumpsparks. And while I’m convinced by her actions that she likes you, never forget that she is the embodiment of nature and nature is not always nice.”

With a wave of her hand a screen for the projector appeared on the far wall. “Beauty and Music inspire Passion, which in turn tends to spark conflict. On the flip side, Haine embodies Hatred, Fear, and Murder. Hatred and fear are normal emotions. Maybe not the shining pinnacle of emotion, but they’re natural. Murder is one of the natural outflows from those emotions. Like it or not, people tend to hate and fear things before they lash out at them. We all just…take our aspects to an extreme and tend to project that extreme to our Jumpsparks. Have a seat.”

I sat back down. “So, I could have ended up as a crazy murder-hobo if I had chosen Haine?”

“Sure,” she said, “assuming you didn’t temper your major boon with a stabilizing minor boon. I’ve seen one Jumpspark take the major boon of Kelias and the undead boon from Haine. Last I heard he’s ruling his world as some sort of skeleton king. Odd choice, for sure, but it worked out for him. And if there’s one thing you need to take away from this conversation it’s that being a Jumpspark is all about choice. You, my dear, still have one left. Any other questions before we pick your new home? Ask anything you want, and I’ll answer it. Zeoni sleeps with her Jumpsparks to manipulate them to her whims; I make sure mine are as Knowledgeable as possible before sending them on.”

“What will your boon do to me?” I asked. Sure, there were a million thoughts running through my head but that seemed like the most pertinent for the moment.

“Having second thoughts? I can call the others back.” There was an almost palpable sense of amusement flowing off her.

“No, I just don’t want to become something that…”

“That isn’t you?”

“Exactly.”

“Then don’t. When I give you my boon there will be a connection that’s established between us. While the link, for lack of a better word, between us will exist it isn’t like I can influence you. None of us want a mindless extension of ourselves as a Jumpspark, we can create avatars for that.” She said.

“So, I’ll be an extension of you?” I asked.

“In broadest terms possible, yes. I won’t be able to control or influence you in any way. I won’t be able to see out of your eyes or observe your surroundings. It’s more of a flow of emotion between the two of us. As Formless our senses are both far broader and yet more muted than those of a mortal. We see the big picture to the exclusion of everything else. Mortals are ephemeral beings, always focused on the here and now. We use the connection to our Sparks as a sort of anchor to keep us grounded and to ensure that our attentions don’t wander for millennia at a time. Your presence on a world will allow Tabiea and I additional influence there,” She replied.

“You’re saying that I’m just cosmic Ritalin?” I shot back.

“I’m saying that as a Jumpspark you fulfill a vital function. We reinforce the Divine Spark inside you with our own essence and remake your body to be able to contain our power. We provide you with a new body and life on a world that’s suited to your boons. In return you help keep us tethered to existence. All you need to do is live your new life. None of us are demanding taskmasters. Krieg doesn’t care if you go to war, although his boon would push you in that direction. Tabiea doesn’t care if you chose to live in a metropolis, although her boons would certainly be more effective surrounded by nature. As for me, it doesn’t matter if you never channel a single trickle of magic. Although I’d certainly prefer it if you did. Your existence on the world is enough to allow us to connect. The boons we give you strengthen our connection with the world you’re living on. There isn’t anything special you need to do to keep the boons, no Princess to rescue, and no beasts to slay.” She answered.

I leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling, thinking. She’d even included the water-stained drop ceiling tiles that I’d never talked our University maintenance department into replacing. I was going to go through with this. I knew that the second the choice was explained to me. I wasn’t much of a gamer growing up, bouncing between home and the farm didn’t leave a lot of time for things my family considered frivolous pursuits, but I was encouraged to read anything I wanted. My allowance was pretty much earmarked for books growing up and as an adult I continued my reading habits. Fantasy was standard fare for me as a teenager and I dreamt about going to Hogwarts as much as anybody else. So yeah, there was no way I was turning this opportunity down. The big sticking point for me was the connection between Eolia and I. She seemed to be telling me the truth, not that I had any experience in telling if a God was lying to me. She’d answered my questions so far and hasn’t shown anything but patience. The answer she’d given about being a living anchor for her seemed to be plausible, but then again there was that whole God thing. Even if she was pulling the wool over my eyes there wasn’t a damned thing that I could do about it.

“Fuck it.” I muttered.

“Hrmm?” She asked.

I looked back at her. “Fuck it. I’m in. Let’s get a world picked so I can get busy living.”

Eolia smiled at me. Some primal corner of my mind noted that while she wasn’t nearly as attractive as Zeoni she still had an amazing smile and perfectly white teeth. “Do you want to choose the world, or do you trust me to pick the right one?”

“Can we do a half-and-half? You’ve had more practice at this for sure, but I have a few conditions that I’d like to add in if possible.” I asked.

Her smile got even brighter as she hooked the projector up to a laptop that appeared with another snap of her fingers and turned them both on. “Oh, we can absolutely do that. What conditions do you have?”

“Dragons for one.” I said without any hesitation. “Every kid has dreams of dragons and unicorns. So, they’ve got to be real. Magic being a thing goes without saying. I’d also prefer a world where I won’t be burned at the stake for using magic openly. Nowhere that’s going to end up with me getting conscripted right off the bat or worlds embroiled in eternal war.”

She had been typing the entire time I was talking, entering my requests in some sort of shorthand. I watched the projector screen as the number of worlds dwindled down from an incomprehensibly large number to something with only a few dozen digits.

“Dragons? Check. Unicorns. Check, although they tend to show up alongside dragons anyway. No grimdark worlds. Check. Good call on that one by the way. I’ve never been a fan of them for my Sparks, either. Anything else? Blue boxes? Skill systems? Anthropomorphic animals? Damsels in distress?” she asked as she looked at me with a challenging smirk.

Maybe I was finally firing on all cylinders, because I immediately shot back with, “A teacher would be nice. Somebody that can teach me how to use my boons to their best efficiency.”

“That,” she said, “is the best suggestion you’ve had all day. You have no idea how many people don’t ask for that. My boon is something that can be hard to grasp at first since it isn’t as straight forward as looking pretty or learning a set of laws. In fact,…” she trailed off as she brought up a single world. “this world should do nicely. There is a teacher available, the whole suite of typical fantasy races, and the technology is a bit past what was considered the iron age on Earth. I’ll have to modify the Magic and Mystery aspects of your boon a touch to fit the mana profile of the world, but that won’t be a problem.”

“If I accept the world selection will you explain what those aspects will actually do? Or do I have to wait until you…uh…recreate my body?” I asked.

“If you accept the world, sure. Waiting until I rebuild your body would be asinine, I won’t do that until you’re en route to your new home, so I’d have to manifest there to tell you. That, my dear Spark, is against the rules.” She shot back.

More rules, more questions. I might be dead, but much like life it seemed that each question I asked just brought more questions. Eolia must have seen the frustration on my face, because she kept talking. “The rules that bind me are simple. I can’t interfere or favor any Jumpspark. Once I deliver you to the world you have selected, we will part. This is the only time we’ll meet most likely. It is possible that you’ll master my gift to the extent that you can transcend further and contact me, but it’s highly improbable. There’s only been one other that has managed it in the entire multiverse. Don’t hold yourself up to him as a final goal. Just live.”

“If you think it’s for the best, then I accept your choice of world.” Not going to lie, I felt pretty good about myself when my voice didn’t waver.

A wave of her hand made the laptop, projector, and screen disappear. Another wave dropped a pepperoni pizza on the table along with two soda bottles and paper plates. “Dig in…I know your lunch got interrupted. Besides, this is the last time you’re going to have pizza and soda unless you figure out how to make them yourself.” She chuckled as she added a few slices of pizza to her plate and took a swig of soda.

I followed suit and loaded up a plate. If it were any other day, I’d have said the pizza was fantastic. Given my current circumstances it tasted like ash in my mouth. It felt like the nervousness of a first date, giving a speech in front of a crowd, taking a test I hadn’t studied for, and a job interview all rolled into one. I had skipped the point of butterflies in my stomach and gone straight to a hollow feeling of anxiousness.

I was eating and drinking mechanically, appreciating the gesture, but not really tasting the food, when she spoke up again. “Magic, Knowledge, and Mystery. Individuals in this world use a combination of internal and external mana manipulation. Your boon of Magic will be changed to allow for perfect synchronization with the mana in the world. It’s up to you to figure out how to use it to best effect, but you’ll become a flawless conduit for power. Knowledge is more straightforward; your memory will be improved, information recall will be easier, and a few other things. Mystery will see the largest overhaul. Usually it covers things like arcane secrets and forbidden languages. In your case, though, Mystery will act as a support for the other two boons. It will help you make leaps of logic and fill in the blanks, so to speak. Sounds a little underwhelming, but your comprehension speed should see a significant boost. I think that will help you a little more than dead languages and forbidden writings.”

I tried so hard to nod at her and signal that I understood but my muscles didn’t seem to want to obey my commands. My eyes slid closed and I slumped in my chair, unable to stay upright. Unlike my first death, I felt like I was sliding off into a peaceful black abyss. There was no fear, just an overwhelming sense of peace. Her words continued, echoing in my ears and somehow getting through despite the irresistible darkness that was overtaking my consciousness.

“One last piece of advice before I send you on. Don’t talk about the Gods or being a Jumpspark to anyone other than your teacher. Feel free to explain your boons to him if you feel you can trust him, but don’t tell anybody else. Best case, they’ll think you’re insane and lock you up. Worst case, they’ll believe you and stop at nothing to either control you for the power you represent or kill you out of fear. Now go forth and live for me. Enjoy your second chance.”

I could feel her words through my body as a cold tingle of power brushed my soul. And then there was only darkness.