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Green light, the cars stopped, René's feet swung into motion. It was the heart of wintertime, snow covering the walkways, snowflakes descending from the sky above. It was a special winter, it had been snowing without pause for the last few days, a strength of season unseen by his young mind ever before. Between walkway and street towered huge mountains of snow, shovelled there by children, tasked by their parents. The city's snow pushers were working non-stop, overtime, still that wasn't enough, there was always at least a film of snow. With every step on the snow, the feet would drop right through. It was exhausting, every step gobbled up vigor, a cause of hell now, soon a cause for endless enjoyment, his father had already planned a trip to a nearby ski resort.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

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The ski-lift was ancient, wood everywhere, in each passenger car, there was barely enough space for one person and a pair of ski. The temperature was freezing, no disincentive for René. His gondola even lost the security shackle, if he lost his balance, he'd plummet right to a frigid tomb, quickly to be covered by a welcoming blanket of snow. The lift operators didn't seem to care quite that much about passenger safety.

Suddenly, everything stopped, the lift went from full-speed, which luckily wasn't all that much, to full-stop. At the time, nothing was to be thought of the incident, it happened quite often:

The lift is too fast for a kid to get in? Stop.

Someone forgets to get out? Stop.

The operator goes for a cup of coffee? Stop.

You see, going skiing, for René going skiing since a young age, he got used to that. Just wait a few seconds, maybe a minute or two, and it would go on.

Only this time it didn't. An important detail, this wasn't a professional skiing area, this was just a small one-lift operation. One-ancient-lift operation. Accordingly, they didn't let the lift run through a few times, just to be sure it was empty, when closing, and there wasn't actually any lift operator, drinking coffee.

Someone would just come by and turn the lift off, giving warning signals a few minutes before, so noone would get onto it anymore. But you know how it is... just one last go, just one last up, sure, there will be enough time, right?

Well, there wasn't, here was young René, stuck, screaming at the top of his lungs, breathing in the freezing air. Mom and dad already left a little earlier to buy some food and gave the money for a ticket to the rented apartment.

So, that's how it came to be, I'm gonna spare you some of the more macabre details. You can imagine, what happened, winter, freezing, sun on its last few steps, simply put, René had no way to warm up.

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"That's my story, that's how I got here." The events still flashing in front of besaid youngster's eyes.

An older man, opposite to him answered calmly, words building in his throat and leaving their encasement, passing the white fence and leaving for freedom:

"Sorry, not a nice way to depart. Over the years, I have had some 'interesting' scenarios, but this is undoubtedly in the top 10. Kiddo, normally you'd have been reincarnated into this world to beat the demon king, but, after that story, I'll leave the choice to you. What do you wanto to live as, when reincarnated?"

"Well, what is there to choose from?" the newcomer inquired

"Everything, you can be everything from a farmer to a king, an adventurer, a beggar, even an animal, a beast, a monster - admitting for that you'd not need to be an animal ." A too well knowing chuckle moving across his lips.

"After my last experience, I'm more interested in something permanent." Mind and body's shock net yet forgotten, ice crystals still clinging onto his long hair.

"Let me warn you, life is a gift, but can be a trap. With that said, being a mage can add a few hundred years to your lifespan, dragons even live a couple thousand years."

"What about a combination of the two, a dragon mage?" His typical smile hushing through his eyes and onto his lips, the muscles finally freeing themselves of their numbness.

"Fifteen thousand years, easily, if you're exceptionally skilled, you can go even higher, twenty, perhaps even thirty thousand."

"Well, fifteen thousand is a good start, but nothing more, a start. Do any other combinations exist that go higher, like god-dragon-mage?" Eyes widening in hopefulness.

"Thirty thousand, and you are not satisfied, you're choosing a dark path, foreigner. I guess, in the big scope of things it's really not that much. Gods are different, they depend on worship, if a god is forgotten, he dies, if he is remembered he lives again, meaning you'd essentially cancel out your long dragon mage lifespan."

"Shouldn't a god be.. you know eternal, dependant on worshippers sounds a bit weird here?"

"Yep. That's why being a god is so difficult, you always have to follow the winning side, otherwise you are buried, together with your worshippers."

"And what are you, are you a god as well?"

"Well, I am not even sure myself, I am a builder, I built this world, I built gods, I built everything. Seeing, that I don't know any others, I am either immortal, or all other builders died, before me, and we're anything but immortal."

"Are there any qualities a builder needs to have?"

"Haha" he chuckled "I don't know, you just are, or you are not."

"How can I find out, you got some testing device?" he asked the 'god' (?), the 'shaper' (?), the 'highest one' (?).

"Follow me, I will show you my world, we can try, whether you are able to change it, or not, don't build up your hopes!" still a smile on his face, happy to show his accomplishments, and just maybe boast a little in front of the young one.

The white room suddenly gained color. Above, there were magnificent wooden carvings, telling all kinds of stories, children playing, adults fighting, seniors talking. On the walls hung paintings of dragons, of priests, of kings, but not just that, some seemed to be beggars, some peasants, reduced to a skeleton, starving.

"My proudest creations. Those, who have changed, how I create, look down."

The floor was made of air, slowly the two descended downwards, descending from the heavens.

"This is the world I have created, it took me years upon years, uncountable. I have seen come and go, what no other has. You see in the distance? The mountains, covered by snow, I upgraded them a few weeks ago, some of my creations wanted to climb, so I decided to give them a challenge."

"You mean, you made it harder for them to reach the top..."

"As long as I exist, nobody will ever reach the top, and if they do it anyways, they shall be heroes. I gave them a chance to make something of themselves."

Down, there were the people going about their days. Some were sowing seeds, others were fighting monsters, then again others were praising their go(o)ds, trying to sell swords, shields, seeds, animals, even. I closed my eyes, I imagined all the things, they didn't know, I didn't know, did earth have a builder, too? Did it build on itself. What if this world didn't have a builder? What would happen, would it collapse on itself? Would it just continue? Would it stop? Would it not be there anymore from one moment to the next? So many questions, and the man in front of me could answer them all. I opened my eyes again, but there was no man, there was no world, there was nothing. No light, no color, don't misunderstand me, it wasn't black either, it was..nothing. I crumpled. What had happened, why was I so exhausted suddenly? Where was everyone? I tried screaming "Hello? Anybody there?" the nothingness spreading into my lungs, it was like on the lift, all over again.

I had to close my eyes, I had to forget. But then again, I had to find out what was going on.