Chapter 2: The First Wish
I took a slow breath.
Five wishes.
Even now, it still didn't feel real.
Just a while ago, I was an ordinary guy on Earth. Now I was standing in some strange white space called The All, talking to a woman who clearly wasn't normal.
She was watching me quietly, like she had all the time in existence.
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Before I start… I want to ask something."
She looked at me.
"Go ahead."
"There are really no limits to these wishes? No punishment later or something like that?"
She shook her head slightly.
"No limits."
I stared at her for a second.
"…That's it?"
"That's it."
I let out a long breath.
This was way too easy. That was exactly why it felt dangerous.
I started pacing slowly, trying to organize my thoughts.
Five wishes.
I couldn't waste even one.
"Think… think…"
I muttered to myself.
"System? Too common… but useful."
"Raw power? Maybe, but I need control too."
"Immortality? Not enough on its own."
The woman just stood there watching me.
After a while, she spoke.
"You are overthinking."
I stopped walking.
"Of course I am. You're giving me something like this without any conditions."
She didn't deny it.
Instead, she said, "Most people don't hesitate this long."
"I'm not most people," I replied.
That made her pause for a moment.
Then she nodded slightly.
"…Fair enough."
Silence returned.
After a while, I stopped pacing.
I had made my decision.
"Alright," I said.
The woman's eyes focused on me.
"Your first wish?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
I took a breath.
Then I spoke clearly.
"I wish to have all the powers, abilities, skills, transformations, bloodlines, and talents of every anime character that exists."
She didn't react immediately.
So I added, "And no side effects. No mental issues. No loss of control. Everything works perfectly together."
Now I was done.
I looked at her.
For the first time, she didn't respond right away.
She just stared at me.
"…Every anime character?" she asked.
"Yes."
There was a short silence.
Then she let out a small sigh.
"That's… a very greedy wish."
I shrugged.
"You said no limits."
She didn't argue with that.
After a few seconds, she raised her hand slightly.
"Wish accepted."
I felt something strange for a moment.
Not pain. Not warmth.
Just a weird sense like something inside me had been rewritten.
Then it stopped.
I looked at my hands.
Nothing changed on the outside.
"…So it worked?" I asked.
"It worked."
Simple answer.
I nodded slowly.
So I really did it.
My first wish was done.
I looked up at her again.
"Four wishes left."
For the first time, she actually looked a little more serious.
"Go on then," she said. "Your second wish."
I took another breath.
"Alright."
And just like that…
I moved on to the next step of my new life.