"Dude you won every single match tonight!" Phil shook his head in disbelief.

"It was just luck," my face flushed red with embarrassment.

"Don't be modest!", Jarrod interrupted. "You're one of the best players in Michigan."

"We're going to beat those other teams bad!" Noreen punched her fist into her palm.

"Holy crap it's two a.m.!" Phil glanced at his watch dismayed.

"All right time to call it a night folks I need to close up shop" Jarrod pressed the holo-tables off switch.

"Crap!" The lateness of the hour surprised me. "I have an early morning meeting at work."

"Phil and I better get going!" Jack got up and stretched his arms over his head.

"Looks like it!' Phil grabbed his coat. "Want a ride, Luke?"

I shook my head, "That's okay, my place is around the corner." I rose from the table. "Can't sleep anyway. Gonna grab some Red Bull and get this presentation finished for work."

"You really shouldn't burn the candles at both ends so much," Noreen cautioned. "It's not good for you."

"I know," I called out over my shoulder. "You guys take care."

The game shop door closed behind me, and I stepped out into the cold Midwestern air. The thunderstorm had died down. Now, a mild drizzle spilled raindrops on to the dark streets.

Detroit had experienced something of a renaissance over the past few years. With technology and financial companies moving in for the low overhead and cheap talent. Downtown was now a hub of hipsters paying way too much for renovated lofts and condos.

My own apartment was centrally located and near just about everything I needed. After a few steps, I ducked into the local 24-hr corner store. The middle-eastern guy behind the bullet-proof screen didn't even bother to lift his head as I entered. He seemed much too engrossed in reading a Farsi language newspaper.

"Who even reads print newspapers any more?"I wondered silently. Moving swiftly through the cramped aisles, I snatched a couple of Red Bulls. Next, I grabbed a frozen burrito and headed to the counter to pay.

"That will be seven ninety-five," the bearded clerk said.

I slid my ATM card through the card reader. Then grabbed my bag. The clerk passed my receipt through a slot in the plexiglass screen and mumbled a lukewarm thank-you.

"Noreen's right," I mused as I made my way home. "It's time I start taking better care of myself."

The rain started to intensify, and I realized that I really needed to piss. Luckily, my apartment building was in sight. I just needed to cross the street.

Another peal of lightning lit up the sky. "Damn!" I held my wet paper bag close to my chest. The storm was growing worse.

At this time of night, the traffic was all but non-existent. While I usually would have waited at the crosswalk, surely there'd be no harm in just dashing across. Besides, it was raining hard, and I needed to use the bathroom.

Without another thought, I stepped into the street. There was no way I could've seen the blue Ford Sedan that swiftly rounded the corner. The driver didn't have time to swerve. He crashed into me full force, sending my body flying into midair. Everything moved in slow motion. The contents of my now torn paper bag spilled out. The two Red bull cans hit the ground first. Followed by the dull thud of my own smashed body.

The impact itself wasn't painful. The sheer shock of it forced my spirit free. Now hovering above the scene, I saw myself bleeding and broken. The car had stopped, and the distraught driver exited. He'd already pulled out his phone to call for help.

"Omigod," A familiar female voice caught my attention. Noreen and Jerrod ran from the darkened gaming shop and into the street. Jerrod kneeled over me and felt for a pulse. Then he performed CPR.

I wanted to call out to him, "I'm not in there anymore!" As crazy as it sounds I was quite aware that I had died. In fact, being dead didn't shock me at all.

The sounds of Noreen's sobs were soon drowned out by the loud whines of sirens. Before long, my lifeless body was surrounded by police and paramedics.

Fascinated by the unfolding drama, my disembodied spirit floated around the scene. I was aware of everything. From the female police officer questioning the driver of the blue sedan to the paramedics covering my body with a blue plastic tarp. A stone-faced uniformed officer held my wallet in his hands. He looked it over and then spoke to the note-taking policeman next to him.

"Says here the deceased was Lukas Tran, Twenty-four," The cop shook his head. "Way to young to die like this."

I wasn't cold or wet anymore. In fact, I felt overwhelmed by an intense feeling of well-being. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Not my stressful morning presentation, the upcoming card tournament, or even the general anxiety I felt daily.

Being dead really wasn't so bad. Sudden disinterest in the scene of my deadly accident overtook me. Instead, an overwhelming desire to go upwards compelled me. Seeing no real reason to remain a ghostly presence on the cold Detroit streets I floated upwards. With a wonderful swiftness, my spiritual form flew. Soon the Earth vanished beneath me, and I was surrounded by stars.

"I wonder if I'm going to heaven," I mused as I hurtled to through the blackness of outer space. I'd spent most of my life fairly agnostic. Thoughts of an afterlife far from the more mundane realities of study, work, and survival. Yet here I was now without a body. Being in spirit form did seem to come to me naturally. I flew among the stars with a freedom I'd never known while I was alive.

In the distance, one star seemed much brighter than all the others. Its magnetic pull reached out and drew my spirit body towards it. I willed myself to fly faster towards the mysterious light. Before long, I reached my destination. The massive glowing orb completely enveloped me. It's incredible warmth filling me with joy and comfort like nothing I'd felt.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Welcome Luke," a soothing female voice spoke.

"Where am I?"

"In the space between somewhere and nowhere."

"What happens next?"

"Come in and find out!"

With that, there was a blinding flash. A sudden and intense gravity latched on to me. I was being pulled swiftly downwards. Before long darkness overwhelmed me and then nothingness. My blurred vision finally came into focus. I seemed quite aware that I no longer was I spirit form. Once again I had a body. I rubbed my head and sat up.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Finally, you're awake," a woman's voice spoke.

The world that came in to focus was anything but familiar. I rested on a golden framed bed, covered in rich silk sheets. The room itself decorated with marble pillars and ornate statues. Across from me stood an older woman wearing long white robes. Her golden hair pulled back into a simple bun.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Skadi," her voice was cool and elegant. "One of the goddesses of fate."

"What am I doing here?" I stepped out of the bed, my bare feet feeling unsteady on the cold marble floor.

"You already know that you are dead," she spoke slowly. "However, it appears there was a mistake."

"What kind of mistake," my voice cracked.

"A small clerical error really," the goddess glided towards me. "Nothing that we can't straighten out."

"I really need you to be more clear," my frustration mounted.

Skadi took a sharp breath, "I'll be blunt. You weren't supposed to die yet." She paused, "In fact, you were due to live for another sixty years."

"I need to sit down," the color drained from my face.

The goddess gestured towards a small table with two chairs. With all the strength I could muster, I walked to the table and took a seat.

"Tea?" Skadi questioned.

"What?" I said puzzled.

"Would you like some tea?" She poured a cup from a silver teapot and held it out for me. Even though I didn't really drink tea, I took the cup.

"Can you please explain what's going on," I asked. "In detail!"

"Of course," she took a sip from her teacup. "There was a clerical error in life accounting. And requisition slip for your end of life was processed."

"So that's why I died?" My eyes widened in disbelief.

"It was an unfortunate mistake," She put down her teacup. "But the good news is you have a surplus of remaining time on your life-account!"

"What's that mean?" I massaged my temples.

"You can trade that balance in for a completely new life!" Her face brightened. "Isn't that wonderful!"

"No, it's not," my voice raised. "I had a perfectly fine life before. I had friends, family, and a good job. Now you're telling me that's all gone because of some supernatural accounting error?"

"Oh dear," her eyes widened. "You sound upset."

"Of course I am," my voice shook. "My entire life has been ruined. I got hit by a freaking car and I'm dead now!"

"You mortals," she sucked air between her teeth. "So preoccupied with your short lives. Don't you realize that you now get a chance for a much better one?"

"Better?'" I struggled to understand what she meant.

"You can't tell me you were really that satisfied with your old one?" Skadi opened a manilla file folder. "I've read your life report, dull, dull, dull!"

I remained silent. It was true my old life wasn't that exciting. And what did I have to look forward to back on Earth really? The only thing that really excited me was card dueling.

"Here," Skadi held out a paper form and pen. "Just sign this form, and we'll get you started on a brand new world!"

"A new world?" I struggled to understand what she meant.

"You poor thing," she continued. "All that time spent on Earth. Which quite frankly is the most boring and backward spot in existence!

The idea of starting over on new and more exciting world intrigued me. "Do I get to choose my next world?"

"Not exactly," she said. "That's against regulations. But I picked a world that I'm quite sure you'll like. It's the kind of reality you've dreamed your entire life about."

I weighed my options. Which really weren't that numerous. Besides, who wouldn't want a chance to start over? This new world might be exactly what I'd been looking for.

"Okay," I took the pen an paper. "I'll give it a shot. And you promise this new life is much better than my old one?"

"Don't you worry!" The goddess beamed. "It's a definite upgrade. Filled with magic and lots of adventure."

I signed my name and handed the form back to her. "So when do I get to start this new life?"

"Right now," she snapped her fingers.

The world around me suddenly went black. I became aware that I seemed to be falling. I fought back my fear and terror with all my courage. What if the goddess had lied to me? No, I refused to believe that. I didn't get the sense that Skadi was untrustworthy. After what seemed like an eternity, a distant bright light beckoned me. Unable to resist, my very being was pulled towards it. Suddenly, two gentle hands grasped me and pulled.

My blurred vision focused on kindly older woman's face. It dawned on me that I was rather small. The gray-haired woman cradled me in her arms and then handed me to someone else. A beautiful dark-eyed lady now held me in her arms. She smiled down and spoke. "It's a boy!" Her voice brimmed with pride.

A man with a bearded face and kind eyes now leaned in. He touched my face with rough but gentle hands. He seemed overwhelmed with joy, and I felt a strong kinship with him.

"What should we name him?" the kind-eyed man asked.

"Renjie," the beautiful lady whispered. "Let's name him Renjie."