Detesting The System: Sundering Fate

Now appearing completely fine within an uncanny white expanse, the only thing I could voice out was a flummoxed, "Huh?" Upon taking a closer look at my surroundings, there appeared to be a faint silhouette of another human off beyond the limit my eyes could capture in precise detail. However, as was the case with my "death," the difference between one instant and the next escaped what I could comprehend, as the silhouette seemed to have skipped across space to appear right before me faster than I could blink.

"It would appear that a blunder on my part has led to your death..." Before me, a young man who honestly looked like he would fit right in alongside my peers as a college student gave what looked to be a heartfelt apology. The young man had white robes as pure as the white expanse surrounding us along with facial features befitting a supermodel.

"So I really died then..." Ignoring the young man's apology, a cold and sudden depression filled my heart. 'Dead? Just like that? Hahaha… I only got to live till 19… I didn't get to finish reaching my goal and learning the three principle Asian languages… I didn't get to say goodbye to my family… And I died a v.i.r.g.i.n, too focused on my hobbies to care for the opposite s.e.x… HAHAHAHA! WHAT A GOOD LIFE I LIVED!' The unfortunate truth was I didn't take my death too well… A bit of madness escaped my thoughts and manifested physically as actual laughter akin to that of a raving maniac echoed around the white expanse.

As the insanity within me grew, the calm and soothing voice of the white-robed man brought me out of my stupor, "I can already imagine your thoughts… Either confused as to why you're here or lamenting what you never accomplished before you died, it's all but natural to react this way..."

Intrigued by the mysterious young man's words, I quieted down and waited for him to continue. It was obvious that he knew much more than I did, so for now, even if I am to drown in depression later on, I feel like it's best to listen to what the man had to say.

"Good, now that you've calmed down, I hope you'll feel better now as I promise to compensate you for your troubles." As the man spoke, I could see him very deliberately flick his sleeve. His words and actions were honestly laughable to me, I mean seriously, I just died and now some rando — random guy — claimed he would compensate me? What would a dead person even entertain the thought of desiring?

Fortunately, I didn't straight up laugh in the young man's face right away as mere moments after he gave me his promise, that flick of his sleeve seemed to have changed the dynamics of this white world we were both inhabiting. Between the white-robed man and I, a paradoxical screen which was both perfectly readable yet somehow transparent appeared.

Through the screen, I could still clearly see the man as he explained, "As you probably already guessed, I'm not a human like you. It's not exactly easy for you to understand what I am even if I were to spend more of my time explaining it in detail, so for now, just assume that I'm what you're people on earth refer to as God.

Now, I know you have many questions, like "Is there really a god? Is this what happens to all people after they die? What exactly was the cause of my death? What was that "blunder" you mentioned earlier? And, How exactly can you compensate me, if I'm already dead?" Rest assured, I'll explain these to the best of my ability, so for now just stay still and listen to me..."

Listening up to this point, this God stopped speaking for a moment, probably to let the information he just shared with me sink in. '...' Alas, my mind… Consciousness? Spirit? I'm dead so I can't tell exactly what is that still drives my thoughts, but whatever that turned out to be was working overtime which left me unable to consciously think. Instead, following a nasty habit I had from when I was alive, a smug smile dawned on my face. It was the same smug smile that manifested when I told my parents what I planned to do with my life, as was the case for almost every single time I understood that something terrible was coming my way. Not sure when the first time this smile appeared on my face, It's followed me throughout my life and apparently now even after death…

The smile on my face seemed to have surprised the God before me, as he too flashed a smile my way. Only, where mine was chuck full of self-depreciation and malice, his was calming and apologetic. The God started speaking up again, saying, "Ok, I'll answer the questions I presume you have in the order I listed them off.

So, yes there are Gods; Gods being plural as there are many more than just a couple here and there. You are a special case in the cycle of reincarnation as someone who has died as a result of my actions, or lack thereof as I'll explain in a bit.

The reason you died… If you were paying attention, it was because of a golden drop of liquid. Well, that golden drop was actually the blood of a… oh right I shouldn't mention its name. Anyways it was the blood of a different godly entity I was fighting, which escaped the boundaries of our battlefield and could potentially capable of respawning said godly entity at a later time. I'm no pushover God, much less one that wouldn't finish what I started, so I made sure to track down every single instance of my enemy's attempt at escaping. Unfortunately, its blood entered your body before I could eradicate it in its entirety, so I had no choice but to purge the blood with you alongside it…

Now, for your compensation… I'm a god so I have various methods to my name. With regards to your next life, I'll grant you three wishes. The screen before you compiles a list of things which might interest you, so call me when you've made up your mind..."

Wishes? This truly was some bullshit straight out of a cheesy reincarnation novel… Actually, as I read through the list of wishes, this thought intensified nigh exponentially. What the f.u.c.k were these? Reincarnation into a world of my choosing? Godlike talent, perception, comprehension, etc. My own personal space? Even the fabled system — Yes, the one from the novels… — was presented as a potential wish.