"A-Are you… God?" Void asked, his voice dry and broken.
"What do you think?" the voice replied.
Now that he really listened, he noticed something, it wasn't deep or booming. It was soft, smooth… almost like a woman's voice.
Then everything around him changed.
The crackling flames froze in place. Smoke hung still in the air. The falling pieces of rubble paused mid-crash, like the whole world had been put on pause.
But then… some of the fire started moving again.
It floated through the air like it had a mind of its own, gathering in front of Void's face. Slowly, the flames twisted and reshaped, pulling together until they formed the shape of a woman, a shadow made of fire and light.
A blazing silhouette with long hair flowing like fire, eyes glowing like molten gold, and a faint smirk forming on her face.
Void stared at her, eyes wide, heart pounding.
"What… the hell… are you…?"
"You humans amuse me… always so quick to blame God for your own foolishness," she said. "Tell me, mortal. Why are you even here?"
"I came to help… people in need," he said, still gasping.
The flame-woman's smirk deepened.
"You say it's to help, but isn't it really about your own desire? You lost your family in fire, felt weak and helpless.
Coming here made you feel like you could finally change something. Like you could take control of your fate."
Her mocking tone made Void's blood boil. He was going to die anyway, so what if he had a fight with a so-called goddess?
"So what!? Are you saying I'm wrong!? I did what I wanted, and I helped someone at the same time! What's wrong with that?!"
"And that's why I call you foolish, mortal. There's nothing wrong with what you did… but you have a brain, don't you?
Why didn't you use it? Why try to help her without any kind of plan?"
She looked around the ruined building.
"You've been here before. You know this place, every corner and hallway.
You knew what the owner was like, how he cut corners. You knew the materials were cheap.
If you had just thought for a moment, you'd have known what caused this explosion. And that it wouldn't stop at just one."
"So what, you're saying this is all my fault?" Void growled.
The flame entity laughed, a sharp, mocking sound.
"And that's exactly why you amuse me. You humans are always obsessed with who's to blame, like it actually matters.
So what if it's your fault? So what if it's not? Does any of that change the fact that you're lying here, crushed under rubble, on your dying breath?"
"So what if I'm dying?" he growled. "At least I tried. I didn't just sit around watching people suffer."
The flame woman tilted her head, eyes glowing brighter.
"Tried? Is that what you call it? You threw yourself into a burning building with no plan, no backup, no second thought.
That's not bravery, mortal. That's just… stupidity dressed up as kindness."
Void coughed again, spitting blood. "Then why are you even talking to me? If I'm just another dumb human… why bother?"
Her smirk grew wider. "Because I like you."
Void blinked.
She stepped closer, the flames around her body rippling with heat and strange beauty.
"You curse at Gods, spit in the face of death, and still have the nerve to fight back even while bleeding out. That kind of stubbornness…" She leaned in, her voice a whisper in his ear, "…can be useful."
Void frowned, pain still burning through him. "What are you saying?"
"I'm offering you a deal," she said. "A second chance. Life again… but not realy the same life. Not the same rules."
Her hand reached out, a flicker of flame flicker at her fingertips. "Accept it, and you'll get what you wanted. To change thing that you cannot before, but remember mortal nothing is free."
"What you mean by change something that I cannot?"
"Don't you like to think about it." She let out a soft chuckle, voice almost playful.
"If only I knew, I would've done this… I would've done that," she said with a soft, mocking chuckle.
"I'd buy Bitcoin when it was dirt cheap and retire rich. I'd stock up on face masks before COVID and sell them for a fortune. I'd throw all my savings into Tesla and laugh all the way to the bank."
She took a step closer, her burning gaze meeting his.
"People always have regrets. 'If only I had studied harder.' 'If only I hadn't said that.' 'If only I chose a different job, a different path, a different lover.'
They all dream of going back to fix something. To take that one risk… or avoid that one mistake."
She paused, eyes narrowing.
"You're no different. You scream at the world, but deep down, you just want the power to make it go your way.
Don't you wish to meet your family again? To safe them from that fire?"
"A-Are you saying… you'll send me back in time?" Void asked, his voice shaking.
The entity's smile softened.
"As I said, mortal, it's not really the same life, not really the same rules.
But does that matter? Don't you wish to see them again?
To taste your mother's cooking one more time?
To go on one more fishing trip with your father?
To finally bring your sister to the prom she never got to attend?"
Images of their faces flashed in his mind, laughing, alive, warm.
"…Are you a god? Or a demon?" he whispered. "No, scratch that. You're right… I don't care what you are.
If you can really give me what I want… I'll sell my soul, even if you're the devil."
The entity let out a melodious laugh.
"Hahaha… Don't regret it mortal. You make your choice"
She cupped Void's face. To his surprise, her hand felt soft, warm, not burning. Her face moved closer… then her lips met his.
A sudden warmth bloomed across his skin. Flames burst out, swallowing his body completely, but instead of pain, they brought an indescribable feeling.
The agony vanished, like it had never been there. In its place came a soothing sensation, like floating through the calmest dream.
The flames in his vision blurred and twisted… but just before everything faded to black, Void saw it, her face.
It was the same woman he had saved, the red-haired woman trapped beneath the fridge. She was smiling.
Then, everything turned to darkness. And a final whisper echoed in his mind.
"My name is Hestia. Don't disappoint me, Void."