"Huh?" Kael said with muted confusion.
Hadn't he just been playing Pokemon at home? So why was he standing in a clearing surrounded by flowers. He was so close to beating the Elite Four, that he'd spent the majority of the night hopped up on coffee, praying to the Gods that he could finally complete the Nuzlocke Challenge.
He looked around, bewildered at the scenery change, and didn't notice the man standing behind him.
A soft cough sounded out, snapping him out of his internal panic. Spinning around, he stepped back as his eyes landed on the man.
He wasn't really a man. A man wouldn't be radiating an aura so profoundly strong that he was moments away from pissing himself.
"Oh," the man said, smiling lightly. "My bad, I sometimes forget to turn down the theatrics."
It was like a switch, one second sheer presence, the next, he was like anyone else Kael passed on the street.
"Uh, where the hell am I?" Kael asked, still keeping a safe distance from the stranger. The man looked saddened for a fleeting moment, then spoke.
"Well, this is the 'waiting room', I guess." He said. "I never really came up with a better name, and purgatory isn't the nicest sounding thing."
"Purgatory?!" Kael said, eyes widening at the word. His mind spun as the sudden reality slammed into him. Had he died? He looked around, and the place felt sterile and inhuman now that he paid attention.
"That's the normal response when I call it that," the man said, sighing. "But suffice to say, you died Kael. I'm sorry."
Dead.
He died.
How the hell did playing Pokemon cause him to die. That sounded like a damn horrible way to end your life. He wondered if the caffeine caused it, but it sounded absurd.
"So, are you like.. God?" Kael asked slowly.
The nod was all he needed to see. God was standing in front of him, telling him he'd died. How messed up was that?
"It wasn't coffee," God said, smiling. "Just a rare genetic anomaly that finally appeared. You went peacefully, if that's any consolation."
"Err, I guess." Kael said absentmindedly. He was freaking out, deep, deep inside, but there was an odd calmness to the whole situation. Maybe dying meant emotions weren't that strong anymore.
"So what now?"
"That's the million dollar question, isn't it," God said, taking a step forward. "What do 'you' want to do?"
"I have a choice?" Kael asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't think God would be so hospitable.
"Everyone does. Especially you, young man." God gestured around the empty space. "So what would you like to do? There's the afterlife, going back to Earth as a ghost for some time, even staying in purgatory for some peace."
"What if I don't want any of them?" Kael asked quietly. He didn't want to be dead, nor be a weird ghost that creeps around the earth. That sounded horrible.
There was a beat of silence between the two.
"Well.." God said, "There is another option, but it comes with its own issues."
"Such as?" Kael asked, eyes brightening at his words.
God sighed, then conjured a seat underneath both of them. Kael found himself seated almost instantly. 'Damn, that was magic! How sick.' He thought.
"You could take my last offer, and let fate take its hand from there." God said seriously, his eyebrows furrowing.
'Sounds serious.'
Kael wasn't one to gamble in his life. Sure, sometimes he played a random gacha game, but he wasn't really drawn to the idea of hedging his bets. His options were limited though.
"What's the offer?"
"You can have a new life, be granted something that would fundamentally change your worldview, and begin anew. The risk is if you win something good or not."
'Oh.'
Kael instantly realized what God was propositioning. Wasn't this the normal isekai package he'd read about? Some ROB, or the literal God in this instance, would offer a poor schmuck an opportunity in a new life. He knew it was a gamble. What would happen if he became some weird slime and got thrown into the Warhammer universe?
He shuddered at the thought.
A snort broke out from God. "That's an imagination, alright. But it is a real possibility, so be honest with yourself."
'Yikes,' Kael thought. 'Still.. this is better than the afterlife. I don't have anyone waiting for me there. No parents I'd like to meet, no siblings or friends.'
It was a sad reality, but Kael had a pretty stock standard 'sad' life. Bounced around from foster home to foster home, finally escaping the system when he was old enough, only to fall into the monotony of the work force. He tried making friends, but his own personal insecurities and living position made it hard.
He'd never see Earth again. Never walk those streets, never finish that Pokemon run, never get another chance at the normal life everyone else seemed to have.
But maybe that was okay. Maybe a fresh start was exactly what he needed.
"It's better than anything else I can think of," Kael finally said. "If I turn into some weird slime and die, we'll probably meet up quickly again."
God smiled, then laughed lightly. A holographic button appeared in the air, startling Kael out of his next words. He looked it over, but it was quite simple.
[Roll]
That was the only word present, which painted the picture clear enough for him.
"Press it, and you'll find out your boon. Simple stuff, no fanfare, nothing theatrical." God leaned back in his chair.
With a nod, Kael reached out, his finger lightly touching the button.
God was right, nothing magical happened. Words appeared, shifting and changing, as if they were being rearranged.
It took ten seconds, then a small chime sounded out.
[True Dragon ]
"Um, is this thing glitched?" Kael asked, turning to God.
God stood up and walked over to face the screen. Kael watched as his face went through a couple of shifts, things he couldn't completely pinpoint, but they looked close enough to shock, happiness, then relaxation.
"Nothing to worry about," God said, patting his shoulder. "Just.. something that's going to shake up everything. But you're lucky, this is a great win."
'Cryptic much?' Kael thought, stopping himself. God knew what he was thinking, and by the smirk on his face, he'd already heard it.
The screen flickered once more, and the [Roll] appeared again.
"I thought that was it?"
"No, now we need to find the new world you'll be living in." God sat back down. "It could be anything, from advanced civilizations, to grassy plains with cows as the dominant species. Oh, and all those worlds you've read about."
Now that got a reaction out of Kael. He had hoped that they were a possibility, but hearing the words straight from the man himself was another thing.
Pressing his finger on the button again, Kael watched with concentration.
The words flipped, rewrote themselves, and bled away until his result came up.
[Mixed Supernatural World (Low Tier): The Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, Twilight]
"You got to be kidding me," Kael said, mouth slightly ajar. "I love all of those."
He wasn't technically a closet nerd, but he had his guilty pleasures, and two of the three he'd been a massive fan of. The Vampire Diaries was something he watched live when it came out, and the whole vampire craze was thanks to Twilight. He'd even gone to one of the midnight screenings for the movies, once he had saved enough money.
"I take it you approve?" God asked, smiling at him. He was already back in his seat, sitting comfortably.
"Love it."
"Well then, that's good. You were quite lucky, Kael. Some options in that selection were horrible, even to someone like me."
There was a crisp clap that followed, and the panel disappeared. Kael watched as God leaned forward.
"A couple of things to send you off with. First, you've already lived a tough life, so you're going to get a chance to live something better. No parents, emancipated minor, the full deal. You won't need to worry about money, or having a roof over your head. Just part of the deal."
Kael broke out into a large smile at the information. He'd made a gamble, and it had paid off more than he really understood.
"Amazing, thank you so much."
God waved his hand dismissively, as if saying 'No problem'.
"Second, you'll have a birthday gift from me next year. Nothing incredible, but I think you'll be thankful."
"Uh, sir?" Kael said, interrupting. "I'm not being unappreciative of all of this.. but why? I don't think I did anything to warrant such a turn of events."
God stared at him for a moment in silence. It wasn't awkward, but it felt heavier than usual.
"You remind me of someone," he said. "Not your backstory, but the core of who you are. I wanted to help out a little. It seems your luck did the rest."
Kael wondered, and he knew God was possibly listening, but there was obviously something deeper than those words. He wouldn't ask, but it would be something to think about in the future.
"Okay," Kael said with a nod. "Thank you for everything, I appreciate it."
The heaviness lifted as God stood up, a calm and confident smile on his face.
"This is it, Kael. I hope you enjoy your new life, don't come back for a very long time, and when you do, tell me your story."
With those words, Kael felt the world grow heavy for a second, and then he fell asleep.