Elaria stared at the screen in front of her while casually playing with a rubber band between her thumb and forefinger, occasionally sighing defeatedly. Of all the many things she had written in her long and decorated career, this was probably going to be the hardest one to finish. She was known across the country as the most thorough and entertaining celebrity journalist. One might say that this field was tacky and only for the entertainment of low class individuals, however let’s be honest, everyone loves a bit of gossip and drama, and thanks to her ability to fervently research and dive deep into the pasts and secrets of the stars, Elaria had gained a massive reputation and a huge cult following.
Some highlights of her career include but were not limited to, exposing an a-list hollywood actors affairs during a red carpet interview, causing them to become so enraged they tried to attack her on the spot, throwing away their face and reputation, but were stopped by their partner who happened to be in the crowd (thanks to a tip off from Elaria), and then confronted and publicly shamed, causing their career to end almost overnight, revealing a government official’s embezzlement and bribery during a ceremony where she was meant to be handing them an award for integrity and tireless work for the common people, leading to a mob rush from the crowd where the official was beaten brutally and ended up not only losing their position, but also being permanently crippled.
Her ruthless style of exposing the worst side of a person when they were least expecting it, and flipping reputations and careers upside down like swatting flies, caused the people of the world to adore her, seeing her as a sort of folk hero who prevented corruption and didn’t let off any despicable individuals. At first, she had loved the attention and respect that came from being in the spotlight and for her work. It very quickly became her worst source of fear however, as she was hounded by overzealous fans, media and PR companies trying to both hire her, or threaten her with legal or other action if she continued to ruin careers and incomes. There was even one time where a renowned musician had attempted to assassinate her during an interview when she revealed disturbing footage of him doing some highly unusual sexual acts.
Needless to say, among the journalists of the world, she was one of the most entertaining and well known, and definitely both the most beloved and hated. Right now though, she was half way to falling asleep in her comfy office chair, as she attempted to put into words what she was feeling. After a messy and chaotic divorce, in which her and her husband had spared no efforts in trying to seize each others assets and had held no punches, emotional and physical, in the process, the court had finally reached a verdict, and as much as she hated her own private life being publicised, she had to get on top of things before anyone managed to get a hold of her husband and unveil any dirty secrets. Not that there was anything particularly insidious or horrifying from their twelve years of mostly happy marriage, but as someone whose job was to surgically tear apart people's private lives and put the worst parts on display, she knew that the public would grab any tiny story and chase it like a pack of rabid dogs.
As such, she was trying to write a press release, to clear up any doubts people might have and to make sure people would be on her side before any damage could even be done. After spending the whole morning with nothing to show for it, she decided to take a stroll and grab a bite to eat for lunch to clear her head. After letting her secretary know where she was off to, she took the long elevator ride down to the ground floor of her office block, waved a short greeting to the security guard on the door, and began to walk down the street to a nearby cafe, one of her favourites to relax and watch life and people go by whenever she was stressed or needed to unwind.
It was November, and the biting cold of winter was really beginning to settle in, the icy wind hitting her face stung, and she wrapped her scarf tighter around herself to try and hold onto the warmth from inside. The street was packed, as various office workers streamed out of the surrounding buildings and made their daily pilgrimage to their restaurant, cafe or fast food joint of choice for lunch. Taking a wide step to avoid a patch of ice on the pavement, she looked to the sky as she made her way down the street, wondering what exactly had gone so wrong. Looking back, she realised she probably spent a little too much time focusing on her budding career, and ended up causing rifts in a once loving relationship, which blew up with small arguments, disputes and ultimately a bitter split which left her feeling rather empty. Not that her husband was innocent either, he could be a downright narcissist at times, and refused to budge for other’s opinions; everything had to be done his way.
Lost in her thoughts, making the journey on autopilot, she failed to notice when a nearby car lost traction on the icy road, losing control of direction and veering towards her. Unable to brake and come to a stop, the driver could only watch on in horror as the woman failed to hear the shouts of nearby pedestrians trying to warn her. Elaria looked back down only to see the car right in front of her, and then everything went dark as it smashed into her chest, instantly shattering her ribs and breaking her legs underneath as it barreled over her limp corpse. The last thing she remembered was the screams of people as they reacted in various ways to the crash. One man even rushed over and tried to see if she was still breathing, but it was hopeless. A shard of metal from the bonnet had pierced her lung, and even if there was a paramedic on site, they would only be able to watch over her as she left this world behind.
The only thing she could think in her final moments was ‘what a shitty way to go.’ Just when the divorce had been settled, too. That bastard ex-husband of hers would probably be over the moon. Ex-husband, that felt good to say. Although there wouldn’t be a chance to say it anymore unfortunately. Everything went dark, and there was no more sound from outside. Is this what death feels like? It’s rather peaceful to be honest. Just as she had accepted the end, she heard a gentle whisper from a somewhat androgynous voice, and a speck of light appeared, rapidly growing until it became a tunnel.
“It’s not time for you to rest just yet, there’s still another huge secret for you to expose, my dear Elaria,” said the voice.
She couldn’t even react or protest before she found herself being sucked towards the tunnel, gently at first but quickly intensifying. As she got further into the white light, she began to hear sounds once more. The loudest of them was the screaming voice of a woman, followed by heavy and rapid breathing. Next came a coarse but gentle voice, encouraging the woman as she struggled in whatever she was doing. At that moment, she felt herself exiting the tunnel, and being grasped by a pair of cold hands. She looked up only to herself being held by an absolutely gigantic man, with a hooked nose and shrewd eyes. He carefully looked her up and down, and it made her rather uncomfortable being scrutinised so intensely. After his observation, he wrapped her in a warm blanket, before handing her to another giant and announcing,
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“Congratulations Vera, you’ve given birth to a beautiful baby girl.”
Oh. Turning to look at the tired, sweat soaked woman who was holding her with care, while gazing with warmth filled eyes at the little baby girl she’d just pushed out, she realised for the first time what that white tunnel was. She’d somehow died and been reborn once more! On the plus side, since reincarnation is real, it looks like quite a few of those religions are preaching absolute nonsense. The Buddhists got it right though, smarmy gits. Before she could even take a moment to let the situation sink in, a box appeared in front of her, filled with writing, scaring her out of her mind. When she managed to recollect herself, she had a look at the contents, only to be a little shocked, because the world she had been reincarnated into definitely wasn’t her old one!
Elaria, sorry for the somewhat rough treatment earlier, it is rather a massive hassle trying to bring a soul over from another realm of existence into this one, so even with my gentle touch and almost endless power, I still had to cut some corners. As you may have noticed, this is not your old world. While it may take you some time to digest this shocking news, I need you to push it to the back of your mind for just a moment while I explain some things. The world you have just been born into is known as Teron, a Plane 0 world. You’ll find out what that means later, but for now just know that it’s basically a dump. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it though, being the resourceful woman that you are. As for the reason I pinched you from your original realm, I have a little something that I need you to do, but I’ll fill you in on the details another time. I think it’s best to let your new parents raise you, lest my interference has negative consequences. For now, I will simply leave you with a gift, one that will help you out quite a lot as you come to terms with your new reality. Good luck in your new life!
All the best,
Zel, Overentity of the Boundless Planes
Struggling to accept or understand what she was reading, as blow after blow of new information and shocking revelations entered her mind, Elaria eventually gave in and accepted that this wasn’t some kind of bad dream, or hallucination conjured by her dying brain in its final moments. This was real. She really had been reincarnated into a new world, and immediately been greeted by what seemed to be some kind of god who ruled the entire place. At the very least, this Zel seemed to have a favourable opinion of her, so that was good. She had read reincarnation stories of those who fell out with the deities in their new homes, and those did not go well for the poor protagonists. She didn’t have to wonder long about what the gift was, because almost as soon as she had dismissed the text box from her vision, another two popped up to take its place.
Normally, one has to be born with a genetic inheritance, or some kind of abnormality in order to receive one of these bad boys, but since this entire system is my brainchild, I did a little tweaking and managed to slip one past the firewalls. Nice word that, I borrowed it from your realm since this one doesn’t really have an equivalent. Anyway, here is your gift, try not to tell anyone about it just yet, lest they panic or curse you as some kind of witch or demon. You don’t want your second life to end in flames as soon as it begins after all. I’ll stop rambling now, here’s your Bloodline Ability, Second Chance. Pretty nifty if I do say so myself, although I made it, so I’m probably biased. If you ever want to check it out again after this, just think ‘Status’ and you’ll be able to see a bunch of information about yourself. If you don’t understand any of it, feel free to ask your parents or just wait until you turn ten, since you’ll meet me again then. Coincidentally, that is when your gift will start to become useful, but I’m giving you a preview now, just in case you think I’m the stingy sort.
Second Chance (Divine)
Passive Ability
You have been reborn! Thanks to your rich experience from a previous life, you are able to pick up new things rather quickly, and adapt to fresh situations with a unique outlook. Want to learn how to make some fresh threads? No problem, just a night of study and you’ll be a master tailor. Jealous of that adventurer’s shiny sword, but can’t afford your own? Apprentice to a blacksmith and within a week he’ll want to pass his shop over to you! Nothing can keep you down, so just dive in and give everything a try, we’re sure you’ll have fun. Don’t let anything hold you back from enjoying this second chance at life.
+150% skill XP gain
+50% XP Gain
+1 to all stats
Her mind began to implode under the unceasing deluge of information, and the whimsical and sarcastic tone of this Zel was a little grating. Did everyone get this treatment, or was the personal touch something reserved for her? Embarrassingly, she was unable to control her new body that well, most likely due to the fact that she was now a newborn, and feeling the desperate need to soil herself, she tried to communicate with the nearest person, her new mother. She opened her mouth, but the only sounds that came out were unintelligible babbles and cries.