"This is my end, huh."
In the middle of a dark room, with only the lights of his television reflecting onto his face, Elias held onto his chest as if death had it in its clutches.
He had always thought he would die homeless. But after years of struggling, he had finally made it. A mansion, a steady income from his investments, and all the comforts he never had growing up.
Most people feared dying alone, but for Elias, he was more than okay with this ending. He was satisfied.
After climbing from homelessness to establishing an investment empire worth billions, his body seemed to have given up on him. The stress, the sleepless nights, and the constant pressure had taken their toll. Who knew that working 20-hour days for decades would have consequences?
"Kuuukk!"
His vision soon turned black, as if he was being forced asleep.
….
….
….
But something strange happened to him. He was still conscious! He couldn't move his body, he couldn't feel anything on his skin, and he couldn't see his surroundings, but he could still think.
Where the Fuck am I?
He never really believed in any religion, but as it turned out, there was something after death.
"Hello, Elias. Or should I call you by the name others gave you on the streets... Grim."
An ethereal voice echoed through the darkness, startling him.
"Who are you? Where the fuck am I?"
"I am what you might call a God of Balance," the voice replied, sounding almost irritated. "And you are in the space between worlds."
Elias tried to process this information. A god? Balance?
"Why am I here? I should be dead."
"Yes, you should be. And you are... technically." The voice paused. "But I needed to speak with you before sending you elsewhere."
"Sending me elsewhere? What does that mean?"
The voice grew stern. "Do you have any idea what you've done? The chaos you've created?"
Elias would have furrowed his brow if he still had one. "I built a business empire from nothing. I donated to charities. I created thousands of jobs. I'm a fucking saint"
"And you made one decision, one seemingly insignificant choice, that has set in motion a chain of events that will result in catastrophic consequences."
"What are you talking about?" Elias tried to recall any decision that could have had such an impact. Nothing came to mind.
"Three years ago, you chose to invest in a small tech company called NeuroLinkz instead of its competitor."
"So, if I didn't, someone else would." Elias felt a flash of indignation. "That company is revolutionizing brain-computer interfaces. They're helping paralyzed people walk again!"
"And in twenty years, their technology will be weaponized in ways you can not imagine. Wars will be fought. Millions will die. And it all traces back to your investment that kept them afloat when they were on the verge of bankruptcy."
Elias felt a chill that shouldn't have been possible without a body.
"And how is that my fault? Im not actively trying to develop that."
"You weren't. But the consequences remain." The voice sounded almost weary now. "This is why I intervened. I removed you from the equation."
"You... killed me?"
"I simply allowed what was already happening to proceed. Your heart was failing regardless."
If Elias still had hands, he would have clenched them in anger around the gods throat." So what now? Eternal punishment? For something I couldn't possibly have known would happen?"
"No. I am not so cruel." The god's voice softened slightly. "I am giving you another chance. A new life in another world. One where you can start fresh."
"Another world? Like reincarnation?"
"Similar, yes. You will begin again as an infant, with a new family. But you will retain your memories, your experiences. Perhaps this time, you will make wiser choices."
Elias considered his options, though he suspected he didn't have many. "What's the catch?"
"Perceptive." The god seemed almost amused. "You will be given another chance at life, but the path will not be easy."
"It never has been," Elias retorted. "I was homeless for fifteen years before I made my first million. I know how to endure."
"Then this should be familiar territory for you," the god replied. "However, I will grant you one gift to aid you in this new life."
Elias would have raised an eyebrow if he could. "A gift?"
"Yes. Something to reflect your journey and the lessons you must learn about chance and consequence. You may have reduced the numbers on your planet by billions, but this world is unfogiving. So I'm going to give you something useful "
Before Elias could respond, he felt himself being pulled downward, as if falling through space.
"Your new life begins now," the god's voice faded away. "Choose more wisely this time."
…
…
…
"Waaaaah!"
The first sound he made in his new life was a cry of confusion and shock. One moment, he had been talking to a god. The next, he was being pulled from warmth into cold, bright chaos.
Hands held him. Large, gentle hands that cleaned him and wrapped him in something soft. His vision was blurry, his hearing muffled, but he could make out faces looking down at him with expressions of joy and wonder.
"It's a boy! A healthy baby boy!" a woman's voice announced.
He tried to speak, to tell them he wasn't really a baby, that he was Elias "Grim" Kingsley, billionaire investor and philanthropist. But all that came out was another wail.
His infant brain couldn't process the complexity of his adult thoughts. Everything was overwhelming – the lights, the sounds, the sensations.
As he was placed in a woman's arms – his new mother, he presumed – he felt a strange sensation in his mind. A presence that hadn't been there before.
[Hello. I am your Guidance Assistant. I will help you navigate this new world.]
The voice was in his head, clear despite the chaos of his new senses.
Great, he thought. A god sends me to another world and i hear fucking a voice in my head. Great. What's next? Dragons?
[Dragons do exist in this world, yes. Along with elemental magic and much more that you will discover in time.]
He would have sighed if he had control over his infant body.
So this is my new beginning. From rags to riches to... whatever this is.
The woman holding him smiled down with tears in her eyes. Her face was pale, too pale, but radiant with joy despite obvious exhaustion. "We'll call him Grim," she said softly. "Grim van Ambrose."
A tall man beside her – his father, presumably – nodded solemnly. "A strong name. He will need strength."
"My lord," a voice called urgently from somewhere in the room. "The lady is bleeding too much. We must act quickly!"
His mother's arms tightened around him as commotion erupted in the room. Her lips pressed against his forehead in a gentle kiss.
"My beautiful boy," she whispered, her voice growing weaker. "I'm sorry I won't be there to see you grow. Be strong. Be wise. Be kind."
The baby was lifted from her arms as her eyes fluttered closed. Voices shouted. People rushed around frantically.
And just like that, in his first moments of this new life, Grim van Ambrose experienced his first loss.
[Your mother's life force is fading. In this world, such is the way of things. The strong survive. The weak perish.]
Grim's infant wails filled the room, mixing with the sounds of the healers' desperate attempts to save his mother.
The god had promised him a new start, but not an easy one.