Aelyx stood motionless over his mother's cold body, his eyes dim, almost completely lifeless, his chest still, as if he had forgotten how to breathe.
The situation lasted a full twenty minutes before his eyes brightened and his chest began moving again.
"Sigh! I have truly been reincarnated into the world of Game of Thrones. That God didn't lie, looking back at it now, things truly could have been much worse." Says Aelyx as he looked around the room, feeling a sense of familiarity and strangeness caused by the mix of his last life memories, mixing with his current one.
"Choosing to lose my memories only to regain them later while also dampening the emotions connected to them was the right choice. There is no way I would have been able to accomplish the things I did in this life with the outlook and morals of someone from the twenty-first century." Aelyx murmurs as his past life memories play in his head like a movie.
(Flash-Back after death)
Darkness.
Cold, endless darkness, for one terrifying moment, he thought that was it.
No heaven, no hell, and no second chance.
Just.... darkness.
Then it cracked, and light exploded, engulfing everything around him.
It wasn't like sunlight; it was pure, endless blinding radiance that seemed to pierce through his very soul. He felt weightless, as if his body no longer existed, as if he were nothing more than a thought drifting through eternity.
Slowly, his vision adjusted.
He found himself standing, or at least, he thought he was standing, upon an endless white floor that reflected the stars above like a mirror. There was no sky, no walls, no horizon. Just infinity.
And in front of him sat a man, no.
Not a man, something wearing the shape of one.
He sat lazily on an enormous golden throne that looked both ancient and brand new, carved with symbols that shifted every time the eye tried to focus on them.
He looked young, perhaps in his late twenties, with dark hair, golden eyes, and a face so perfect it felt unnatural. He wore simple white robes, though they somehow looked more regal than a king's crown.
The moment their eyes met, the main character felt it. Power, absolute, unquestionable power.
The kind that made worlds seem like a grain of sand, and universes feel insignificant.
His throat went dry.
"I'm dead."
The being smiled.
"Astute observation."
His voice was calm, smooth, and carried an odd amusement, as though he'd heard every possible mortal reaction a million times before.
He swallowed.
"That means…"
"Yes," the being said, leaning against his throne with one hand supporting his cheek. "I am what you mortals would call God. Though honestly, the title is a bit dramatic. Creator, Overseer, Cosmic Administrator… I've gone by many names."
He stared, then blinked.
Then said the only reasonable thing.
"This is insane."
God laughed.
A real laugh.
"Oh, I like you already. Most people either scream, cry, or immediately ask for something."
The man rubbed his face and spoke. " Well, I did just die, so I think I deserve at least five minutes of existential panic."
"Granted."
He stood there silently, as God waited.
After about twenty seconds, he sighed.
"Okay, panic over. What happened? Car crash? Heart attack? Random lightning strike?"
"Hahaha, always the overachiever." God said as he snapped his fingers.
A screen appeared in the air.
It showed him.
Crossing the street.
Checking his phone.
A truck.
Very fast.
Very unavoidable.
Very painful.
He stared.
"…Seriously?"
God nodded sympathetically.
"I hate everything."
"Yes, yes, tragic and all that. However," God said, straightening slightly, "your death was… as it should be."
That made him pause.
"What?"
God waved a hand.
"Your death happened exactly how it was supposed to, no premature death or Goldly mistake, which by the way never happens. It was simply your time." God says.
"So what am I doing here?"
"The same as every good human who dies, you will be moving on to your next life." As he said that, four enormous wheels materialized in the endless white space beside them.
Each one was massive, glowing with divine light, spinning slowly with countless names, powers, and possibilities written across them.
"Is this some kind of gacha?" The man asked, staring at the wheels.
God looked offended.
"It is a sacred mechanism of fate."
"It's a gacha wheel." The man responded.
"…It is a premium sacred mechanism of fate."
God raised a finger.
"Four wheels. Four gifts. First: the world you will be reborn into. Second: your power. Third: your item. Fourth: a bonus… something special to alter your new life."
He looked at the wheels, and his heart began to pound against his chest, or at least that's what it felt like, seeing as he didn't have a heart right now.
A second life. Another world. Another chance.
God's golden eyes watched him carefully.
"Think before you spin. Fate has a sense of humor."
He exhaled deeply, then stepped toward the first wheel, world selection.
Thousands of names flashed across it.
Worlds from stories. Legends, Myths, Anime, Games, and Movies.
His mouth went dry as names like Naruto, Marvel, One Piece, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and countless others blurred past.
"Please don't be something horrifying," he muttered.
He grabbed the wheel.
And spun.
The divine mechanism roared, light flashed.
The wheel spun faster and faster, names becoming impossible to read.
His heart hammered in his chest.
Then, it slowed.
Naruto.
Harry Potter.
The Witcher.
Attack on Titan.
His breathing stopped.
Then;
Game of Thrones.
Click.
Silence.
He stared.
God smiled.
"Ah. Westeros."
The man took several seconds to process that.
"…I am going to die."