Screams... Screams of agony and endless pain... Red light... The smell of blood... Darkness... All of this I could hear and feel. It was as if I were at the very center of events. The center of something horrifying.
I couldn't see anything, anyone... All I could hear was a light rain falling, turning my clothes into a soaked mess. I didn't even know what was happening. But understanding it was simple enough. Just take a deep breath, trying to draw in as much air as possible from the damp atmosphere and... collapse to the ground. This wasn't air anymore... it was blood... pure human blood that filled the entire space around me. It was like some toxic gas, suffocating me and reeking of metal. No wonder I couldn't stay on my feet.
I pressed my hands into the ground, trying to catch my breath, but I felt the futility of it... It was foolish! Closer to the ground, the concentration of blood only grew thicker... It filled everything, everything that could possibly be filled.
I realized my hands weren't pressing into the earth but into... something wet, soft, warm... slippery... Flesh... Human flesh mixed with other human organs and bones. It was horrific... Humans had once again done something for which they paid a steep price.
"Found him!" a voice called out, as if from a distance. But it was just an illusion of my half-dead mind—a hallucination, to put it simply. I couldn't think straight. The stench of death pierced everywhere it could. There's nothing worse than this... And compassion? There was none! I didn't need it...
I heard approaching footsteps; the speaker was nearing my body, and, from what I could sense, they were overjoyed about something. I couldn't open my eyes to look at them. Something was stopping me...
"We've got a big catch today!" the voice said, now right beside my body. I couldn't stand—the flesh was too slippery, and any attempt to rise would only make things worse. I didn't want to fall face-first into the bloody mess with no chance of getting up.
"Don't be afraid, my little Voidling, you'll serve a great purpose." Someone grabbed me by the hair and whispered those words right into my ear. It didn't hurt. I was used to it by now.
I was about to say something when suddenly... there was a sharp tug, as if something yanked me by the middle of my chest. Instantly, I felt good and warm. My body grew light, as if a gentle breeze were running through it. My thoughts cleared, and the eternal melancholy vanished without a trace. I felt something filling me... something familiar and soft, like warm milk with honey, the kind I always drank in the evening... I didn't want to leave this place, because I knew... even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to escape. Not mentally, not physically.
I opened my eyes...
۞⦰۞
I was flying... Somewhere... Definitely, this... Space couldn't be called a place or a room. "Somewhere" described it well, though it paled in comparison to "something." And what was that "something"? It was a myriad of stars scattered across this space, glowing with gentle colors. What should this space be called? No, "somewhere" no longer fit, because there was "something" here. And if "something" existed, then this space had some kind of meaning... Almost Absolute Nothingness. Half-Emptiness... Perfect... It sounded simply wonderful, and I liked it.
So, we've figured out "where" I was, more or less. Now, "who" was I? Well, that was clear enough, especially considering I was probably... dead? I couldn't quite grasp or accept it... I didn't even remember the circumstances of my death, if it came to that. All I recalled was a lot of red and something wet... It felt like someone had simply erased my memory of dying, though that sounded like nonsense. Then again... if I'm being honest, the fact that I was here at all was already utter madness.
I still hadn't figured out who I was... Me? I'm Andrey, a human... Or at least I used to be. And I died, roughly, 20-30 seconds ago. I still don't know how I calculated that, and I doubt anyone's going to explain it to me.
What even is "time"? Here, that concept felt incredibly elusive. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. It was as if "time" didn't exist here. Whether it was a second or a million years, you wouldn't know the difference. That's what made my presence here so strange. How had I counted those twenty seconds since my "death"? It was as if... someone had helped me. Helped me count the time... and there it was again—that warmth and lightness... Why "again"? What the hell was going on?
My death... was it expected? No, I don't mean I knew I was going to die. It's a different situation... I'd come to terms with my death, even though I didn't understand how it happened. It was bizarre, especially for me. A being who'd lived just 26 years among the wretches called humans. It was both reassuring and sad... Ha, how were they doing without me now? Probably rejoicing in my death—if they even realized I was gone. In life, I never connected with anyone, but I had enemies aplenty. Since I couldn't remember the final moments of my life, it's not like I needed to. Who even needs to remember their death? As if my thoughts could change anything. I'm an anomaly. I died, but not fully—why wasn't I in the cycle of rebirth? Why did I remember my life? It was so strange and foolish; I shouldn't be here. It's unlikely anyone would explain what was happening.
"So... Hmm... Got it! Found him!" Those words seemed to echo right inside my head, reverberating through the space of my skull. Though it was odd, I understood them instantly in two languages—Russian and English. They rang out across the space, sending powerful vibrations through it.
I felt a slight pressure, as if something enormous had gently grabbed me and started carrying me somewhere. I gazed at the cosmic landscapes of this, dare I say, world, speeding past me at incredible velocity. The being holding me was invisible, but I could feel its heartbeat, making the vacuum pulse.
It was like being doused in icy water... my insides and I passed through some kind of barrier that scanned me as it went. The sensation was, to say the least, unpleasant—downright nasty, even. Then I felt myself being placed on solid ground and released. The pressure disappeared.
"Sid, you're free." I turned my attention to the source of the voice. Before me, on a high throne—or at least something resembling one—sat a being. It looked like a man in his mid-thirties, to be precise. His face bore distinct features: a short beard that smoothly transitioned into sideburns, glowing with an otherworldly gray light. His eyes exuded endless calm and boredom, the kind no mere mortal could experience. When he looked at me, he smiled, as if genuinely pleased to see me, like I was some long-lost relative. Yeah, that sounded ridiculous.
His clothes, though, were a stark contrast to his appearance. He wore a damn green T-shirt with pale lime flowers on it. His shorts were almost identical, just a shade darker, perhaps. Looking down at his crossed legs, I saw blue Crocs, which made my eye twitch. It was as if he'd been getting ready for the beach but got summoned here instead. I wouldn't have paid it any mind if not for one glaring "but." That "but" was the overwhelming aura of power and death radiating from him. It pressed me to the floor, as if I were insignificant compared to him. It felt like I was standing before a God.
"Well, hello, Andryusha. Or should I call you 'Anomaly,' as you named yourself?" the being asked with a smirk, setting some papers aside on his desk. His gradient-gray eyes scanned me, as if piercing into my very essence and soul. A shiver ran down my spine—goosebumps the size of cats. Being under his gaze was anything but comfortable, though there was a strange sense of kinship.
"H-hello?" My voice sounded like a mouse's squeak. I'd never felt this much fear before, because I'd never seen anything like this. His voice dripped with power, and the air around us seemed to tremble with every word and breath he took.
"Alright, that's settled. Ahem... Mortal! You've been summoned to sa—ugh, wrong script... To sum up what I meant to say: you're dead, and you're about to be reborn. I'm obligated to grant you various abilities and perks. Got it?" A very... strange god, if you think about it. His serious gaze clashed with his casual tone, like some seasoned comedian. Plus, that aura of his, which he still hadn't toned down—death and something intangible. He was too cheerful, despite the gravity of his expression. Something about him unsettled me, but I couldn't figure out what, and I probably never would. I had a feeling this whole situation was going to cause me a lot of trouble...
"Y-yeah, I g-get it..." My voice was still trembling traitorously. Where was that lightness I'd felt when I first arrived here?! Whatever, screw it. Something else—something more important than my shaky voice—was on my mind now.
"C-can I ask? H-how did I die...?" Those words came out with some difficulty. It's hard to speak when you're being crushed to the floor by intensified gravity. Yeah, I'd figured out it was gravity, not just the God's pressure. Either he forgot to adjust the force of attraction—because I knew he could—or he simply didn't bother. Either way, I awaited his answer.
"Well... How do I put this gently... You deserve a Darwin Award." My confusion must've been so obvious on my face that the God immediately began explaining the circumstances of my death.
"You stubbed your pinky toe on a nightstand and died of shock from the pain. It happened so fast you didn't even register the pain before you were gone. That's about it. Any more questions?" I raised an eyebrow. From my last moments, all I remembered was a lot of red, and this vague explanation didn't align with that at all. He was clearly holding something back.
"Yeah..." I grimaced. The story was too far-fetched. If I'd really died like that, it'd be pretty pathetic. A pitiful death in a pitiful world with pitiful people from a pitiful nightstand! If it were true, I'd have laughed hard at my own worthlessness, but it didn't matter now since the true cause of my death wasn't revealed. If the God didn't want to tell me, fine! Like that'd make my day any better.
"Perfect! Now we can get started. So, you need to pick four perks that'll stay with you forever, even if you die again. And you'll have to choose a world for your rebirth. Got it?" My eye twitched again. His jokes... his way of talking... It felt like I wasn't speaking to a god but to some old factory janitor who'd just been handed an extra bottle of vodka. Even the situation fit: "Come, take, leave." Maybe he was just some divine guard assigned to greet me? Come, take your abilities, go. Anything's possible with a guy like this.
"Uh... totally clear..." I replied, feeling a faint sense of hopelessness multiplied by the heightened gravity. Either way, I had no choice. So I'd have to think. I wasn't going to make my rebirth complicated—I'd pick some strong abilities and go have fun.
"Great, I'll give you time to choose," the God said, returning to his paperwork. Glancing at what he was writing, I saw only meaningless symbols that broke my brain just by existing. In short—I didn't understand a damn thing, and I probably wouldn't anytime soon.
I sat down on the floor since my legs were outright refusing to hold me up, especially under this gravity, and assumed a meditative pose. No, I wasn't going to meditate—first, I didn't know how; second, I couldn't. Two very simple reasons. I just did it to think more comfortably. To think and ponder what world and abilities I'd choose for my rebirth.
It'd be pretty annoying if, say, I picked Saitama's strength and got thrown into something like Gurren Lagann, where one spiral-eyed freak could wipe out dozens of universes. So why not pick that spiral guy's powers, or something from Dragon Ball? In the first case, I'd get bored—I'd be a supreme being from the start with no drive to grow. And spending my time floating in space eating stars? Sorry, not my thing. As for Dragon Ball... it's tricky. No, I'm not scared of Zeno or Beerus, not at all... I just have questions about that world's physics. Characters who can destroy planets with their punches but can't lift a hundred-ton weight with those same hands?
Superman's house key was made from a dwarf star and weighed as much as one—and he's got better stats and brains. But I've got different plans. I'm here to have fun, right?
With those thoughts, I sat there for about thirty minutes, by this world's time. Yes, thankfully, time here felt normal, which made me incredibly happy since those temporal paradoxes were frying my brain. Now I didn't have to strain to grasp the flow of time. That was good. I digress...
"I've decided," I said, standing up. My legs were numb from staying in one position for half an hour. It felt unpleasant, like sand under my skin, with every move hammering my nerves. It wasn't painful, but it messed with my ability to control my limbs.
Standing up, I tried to muster the confidence I'd lost when I first saw this strange being called a God. I swayed side to side, struggling to balance under the heightened gravity and on numb legs. It didn't exactly boost my confidence.
"Go ahead," the God said, looking up from his papers with a gaze full of kindness. That "go ahead" carried infinite care and... love?! Screw this, I needed to get out of here fast. This god was giving me goosebumps the size of elephants now! I didn't want to stick around any longer.
"Alright... First and foremost, the Absolute Solver. You know, that Omni-Program from Murder Drones. But without the side effects like needing oil or being vulnerable to sunlight. No limitations—it should let me affect other Absolute Solver hosts, bypassing their natural defenses.
Second, Absolute Matter Manipulation. Basically like Icon from Internecion Cube" — absorbing and converting one type of matter into another while retaining the original's properties. The condition is no restriction on creating organic matter.
"Third, Atomic Reconstruction. It'll cover any gaps left by Absolute Matter Manipulation since I'll be able to reshape matter however I want." Simply put, the cube works like this: it absorbs matter and uses it as building material—metal, flesh, whatever. If you absorb a person and want a bike, you'll get a bike that looks and rides like a bike but is made of living human flesh with metal properties. It might even sweat if you push it too hard. Atomic Reconstruction fixes that, letting the host reshape matter as desired.
"And fourth, Void Mastery." Basically, controlling absolute nothingness, a part of all existence. Call it an absolute element. Its feature? It corrodes everything it touches—glass, metal, wood, flesh. It'll destroy anything. I assume I'll get protection from its hazardous nature, but we'll see. That's for later.
"Quite the complex requests..." the God said, surprised, glancing somewhere behind me. I turned around but saw nothing. When I turned back, he was standing right in front of me. His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper, rustling like dry leaves on the ground in autumn. His closeness was unnerving, especially since he was half a head taller than me.
"Especially Void Mastery... Though most people ask for basic stuff like Saitama's strength, so your choices are pretty original. Fine, pick a world," he said softly, then instantly returned to his chair behind the desk. An old-fashioned pipe appeared in his hand, and he started smoking it. I wrinkled my nose—I don't like smoking.
"The Murder Drones world," I said, trying to ignore this god's relaxed demeanor. He was just... I don't even know how to describe him. Words fail me. "Strange" didn't cut it anymore—he'd crossed that line long ago.
"Excellent! Goodbye!" After those words, my consciousness began sinking into darkness, as if I were drowning in it. It was warm, pleasant, quiet... I hadn't felt this way in so long... So very long...
"Good luck..." I heard at the last moment, before losing my mind in the halls of true darkness.