Cross floated in silence for a moment, trying to wrap his head around the situation. "I dunno… I nearly went insane back there in the void. How do you deal with it? Don't you get lonely?"

One shrugged again, nonchalant as ever. "Sometimes. But I'm pretty used to it. Been around since… well, the beginning, you know? I see things, I make things, and sometimes I just chill. Being alone isn't so bad when you're literally the most primal being in existence."

"Yeah, well, it was driving me nuts," Cross muttered. "If I had to spend another second talking to myself, I'd have lost it completely."

One grinned, his stick-like mouth stretching unnervingly. "So, what do you want now? A second chance, maybe?"

Cross perked up, a glimmer of hope sparking in his chest. "Wait, like, reincarnation? You're serious?"

One nodded, a lazy flick of his stick-arm. "Sure. Happens all the time in fantasy stories, right? Why not give you a go at it?"

Cross hesitated, then couldn't resist the idea brewing in his head. "Could I… maybe get a cheat ability? You know, something cool?"

One's smile widened even more. "Heh. I like the way you think. Sure, why not? I'll give you a little boost."

Cross's mind raced, and without thinking too hard, he blurted out, "What about some eye powers? You know, like those overpowered ones from anime."

One raised what might've been an eyebrow if he had one. "Eye powers, huh? Something like… seeing through walls? Or maybe lasers?"

Cross shook his head eagerly. "No, no, something cooler! Like… being able to see through illusions, predict movements, maybe even perceive energy flows, like those special eyes in those shows. You know, something that would make me unbeatable in a fight!"

One let out a short chuckle, nodding in approval. "I see what you're getting at. You want something versatile, something that'll give you the edge in a new world."

Cross grinned, feeling a little too pleased with himself. "Exactly! Something that'll make me, like, the top-tier protagonist!"

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"Alright, eye powers it is." One snapped his stick-fingers together, and the space around Cross shimmered. "I'll give you something unique, something you won't find anywhere else. But… it's not all sunshine and rainbows. There'll be challenges along the way."

Cross nodded eagerly, practically vibrating with excitement. "I can handle challenges. I mean, I survived the void for… well, who knows how long, right?"

One chuckled again. "Alright then. Eye powers. Don't say I never gave you anything."

As Cross prepared to ask what kind of abilities these eyes would grant him, the void began to warp and shift around him, pulling him toward the light. "Wait! What exactly do these eyes do?"

One waved lazily as Cross was sucked into the light. "You'll find out soon enough. And, uh, try not to die from diarrhea again, alright?"

Cross's eyes widened as he was yanked into the blinding white light. "HEY! That was a one-time thing!"

He felt time, space, energy stop when the light enveloped him, yet he could still hear One's voice trailing behind him. "Don't forget to send a postcard!"

The last thing Cross saw before the light enveloped him was One's grin fading into a contemplative frown.

"Do you not get bored?" Cross's earlier question echoed in the god's mind, and One remained silent, lost in thought.

*

Cross Alabaster's eyes fluttered open, and he immediately regretted it.

The first thing that caught his attention was the overwhelming sight of a poster—a very large poster—of a woman wearing next to nothing, lounging seductively across the alabaster walls of the unfamiliar room. Her body contorted into an impossible position, a speech bubble hovering over her lips with a single expletive.

"F*CK!"

Cross blinked. Once. Twice.

"I'm in some perv's room, aren't I?" he muttered under his breath. The second thing he noticed was the laptop sitting precariously on the edge of a desk, glowing ominously in the dark room. The brand on it—a half-bitten orange. "A half-bitten orange? Man, off-brand even in this universe."

The screen was open, and Cross squinted at the tab that was clearly showcasing… adult content. "Classy." He was about to throw a witty comment into the air, but then he felt a breeze. A cold, uncomfortable breeze.

He glanced down and, to his horror, realized that he was half-naked from the waist down. His boxers were bunched around his knees, and a sense of dread began to creep up his spine.

He didn't need to be a detective to know what this body had been about to do.

"Well," he sighed, "this is going great already."

Standing up with what dignity he could muster, Cross quickly tugged up his boxers and took a moment to assess his surroundings. Despite the initial embarrassment, the room wasn't all that bad. Big, even. He mentally noted that it could probably fit two king-sized beds with room to spare. Whoever owned this body before clearly wasn't struggling financially.

Then it hit him.

This wasn't his body.

Before he could fully process that thought, his vision blurred, and everything began to spiral. His legs gave out from underneath him, and he collapsed back onto the bed, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

"Whoa, what the—"