I was just a normal guy.
I mean, I had dreams, of course; don't we all at some point?
Some dream of becoming doctors or astronauts. As for me, I always wanted to be an MMA fighter.
I always thought fighting was so cool, ever since I was six. I tried really hard to make that dream a reality.
Everyone said I was delusional. I wouldn't listen to all those people, whether they be family or friends. I trained hard, real hard.
I spent years trying to get the right conditioning and learn the right moves. I really thought my dream was going to come true, that I was going to become an MMA fighter.
But... reality, like it does for most, came crashing down on me. I tore my ACL during training for my first fight.
That was it... that was the end of my MMA journey. No doctor would clear me to compete. Just because I landed a little awkwardly on my right leg. A real bummer, I know.
All was not lost, however; I still had my family and my lovely girlfriend. Things may have been a little bleak with that development, but I still have what's most important in life, right?
Wrong.
My girlfriend, yeah, she cheated on me very soon after. Basically, she said I was a total loser, which, in a sense, I get, but I'd still consider her words rather harsh. I hate to admit it, but that breakup had really affected me emotionally. Never really opened myself up to another human being again after that. But hey, at least I still have my family, right?
Not even a year after my parents died in a freak car accident. Just perfect. Of course I planned the funeral; my good-for-nothing older brother couldn't be bothered to show up. Needless to say, that prick was never a part of my life after that.
So... yeah, I was completely alone. Don't get me wrong, I had acquaintances; I wasn't some quiet loner who never talked to another soul, but I wouldn't say I had anyone I was particularly close with in my life after everything came crashing down.
Still, it was a rather lonely existence, as well as a boring one while I'm at it. You want to know what my job was after the injury? I worked in the office of a company that sells printers. It was the most boring job imaginable. I couldn't stand it.
But anyway, I'm talking about all this stuff in the past tense, and do you want to know why? I mean, I'm sure you don't have to put on your critical thinking cap to figure it out. I'm dead, obviously.
Man, really looking back on it, my life kind of sucked. Even the way I croaked sucked. Imagine dying because you choked on a cashew alone in your studio apartment. Doesn't that just sound like a lame and depressing way to go? It's still hard for me to accept that my life really ended all because of that, but here we are.
Where is here? That's a good question, because I've been trying to rack my head around where I am for the past hour. Looking around, it's clear to me that I'm in some kind of waiting room.
The room is very plain-looking. Rough-feeling carpet, unwelcoming chairs to sit on while you're waiting, and a small rack of magazines. The weird thing is these magazines are all from, like, twenty years ago; I couldn't even tell you who half the people in them even are.
It's funny how I say that's the weird thing when the real weird thing is that I can't even stand up from the chair. Like when I died, I blacked out and then just woke up on this chair; ever since then, I've just been waiting. For what? I don't even know.
Part of me is wondering if this is purgatory, if I'm doomed to spend eternity in this endless cycle of blandness. Honestly the idea of that frightens me, so I'm just going to push that way in the back of my mind. I mean, all this is frightening if I'm going to be honest with myself. I mean, I've literally stepped into the unknown, death itself. Anything can be in store for me here, things I probably couldn't even comprehend.
"Orion will see you now."
That voice—where did it come from? It sounded like a woman. There's nobody in the room; it's completely empty of any signs of life, and there are no speakers or anything that would carry sound. Yet it sounded so clear in my head, as if it were whispered directly into my ear.
I just noticed, I can move now. I can freely get up out of my chair. It feels good to move again after being forcibly seated for over an hour; that uncomfortable chair made my back hurt, quite frankly.
Looking around, I guess I see only one place to go, through a plain-looking wooden door with a silver handle. I'm assuming this Orion guy is who the voice mentioned. I stand in front of the door, hand nervously hovering over the handle. It's a bit nerve-racking, in all honesty. I'm assuming whoever I see through this door is some sort of god or angel about to pass down judgement on me; I can't help but be a little nervous.
After a few moments of mental preparation, I slowly open the door. It's an almost completely blank-looking space. I walk in, a bit nervous about stepping on what appears to be nothingness, but everything is fine, and the ground appears to be solid. In front of me I see a fine-looking brown wooden standing desk.
Standing there, I see a man with an almost inviting smile etched upon his face as he appears to be filing paperwork at said desk. He looked a bit normal to me; the man has a somewhat slender build, curly blonde hair, and he's dressed in a green full-body tracksuit. Despite his somewhat normal looks, he does have a faint glowing aura around him that definitely distinguishes him as not from Earth.
After a moment of walking in the blank void, I arrive at the desk as he finishes filing his papers. He then opens up a laptop and appears to be looking something up before he looks back at me.
"Let me see here... your name is Bryce Olanz, right?" The man says in an almost smooth-as-silk voice as he looks up from his laptop.
"That... that would indeed be me." I say in an unsure, almost nervous-sounding voice.
It's weird; in my normal life I was never this nervous about anything, but I suppose anyone in this situation would probably show some nerves, staring down... whatever he is exactly after being taken away by death. He seems rather friendly; I should at least try to calm down before he continues. As I'm thinking all of this internally, there he is just scrolling through his computer, looking at what I assume would be my file.
"My name is Orion, by the way. I'm an angel, if you weren't aware. Just felt it polite to introduce myself, is all. Now... looking at your file, it appears there's been a bit of a mistake here."
I pause for a moment at Orion's word, first of all letting it sink in that I'm talking to an honest-to-god angel. But other than that, I fixate on the word mistake. What does he mean by mistake? Angels make mistakes? I need to ask him.
"If you don't mind my asking, Mr. Orion, sir, what do you mean by that?"
"Well, Bryce, what I mean by that is relatively simple; you weren't meant to die at this time."
My breath catches in my mouth. I try to think of words to say, but my mind draws a blank. I wasn't meant to die right now? I have so many questions running through my brain. How did this mistake happen? When was I supposed to die? What happens now? My head is absolutely swirling with these thoughts, and by the look on Orion's face, he can tell.
"I know this can seem quite confusing, but don't worry, we do have a protocol for when this happens. As for how this happened, it's a bit hard to explain the intricacies of life and how all of existence works, so I'll try to simplify it for you. Imagine life were one of your earthly video games; your death would be an incredibly tiny bug in the system. Life is well kept and continuously updated and seen too, but every once in a while a small bug can slip through the cracks. This is one of those times, a rare thing indeed; the last time that this happened was over two centuries ago, in fact."
"So this is like a one in a billion situation? That's just... swell... anyways, you said there was a protocol for when this happens, right? So what's the plan here, if it's alright to ask? Are you going to bring me back to life somehow or something?"
"You're a very inquisitive one, aren't you? But sadly, no, we aren't able to bring someone back to life once they've died. However, what we can do is reincarnate that person."
"Reincarnation? How would that work? You mean like that thing they do in some of those anime?"
"Essentially. We'd pluck your soul and place it into that of an unborn baby. You'd be born anew but retain the memories you had in your previous life. Pretty cool if I do say so myself. While it can be odd going through childhood and adolescence again, eventually you get used to it. Even though you retain your memories, your mind will somewhat regress until you mature."
"That does sound interesting, but... are there any other options?"
"If this doesn't tickle your fancy, the afterlife awaits, I suppose, but between you and me, it can get a bit boring. I like to check in on various human activities, and they always seem so lively and fun. I did read your file, by the way; your life was somewhat tragic and boring... no offense. If I were in your shoes, I'd take this opportunity and grab it by the horns. Live life to the fullest and whatnot. Have the fun and excitement in this life that you missed out on in your previous go. But hey... it's your decision. I'll give you a moment or two to decide."
I watch as Orion then spins around and begins humming a tune to himself as he waits for my answer. I think he made some good points, in all honesty. My life wasn't the best, and now I have a chance to get a second chance at living. A smile is slowly creeping on my face as I'm getting excited at the possibilities. After a moment of giddy thought, I come to a decision as I look back towards Orion.
"You've convinced me; I'm down. Let's get reincarnating."
"Excellent. Alright, I'll get the spell ready; it'll only take a moment."
After that he summons a brown textbook as if from nowhere as he reads a passage to himself before placing his hand forward making a large black and white circle with various runes covering it appear around my feet. I still have many questions left to ask him.
"So, Orion, where exactly are you sending me? And who exactly will I become?"
"Curious one, aren't you? We don't have much time, however, before you're sent since the reincarnation ritual has already been activated, so I'll give you the cliff notes. I'm about to send you down to a world known as Valdus Oro; it's a world absolutely brimming with excitement and adventure. You'll find creatures you only thought real in myths and magic that need to be seen to be believed. You'll be born into a well-off family who resides in the Democratic Republic of Zankaria, one of that world's most prominent nations."
His words only excite me more, as the circle beneath me begins to glow white. It feels strange but also warm, as if my soul is being transported out of my body. I try to ask him one last question before I disappear and arrive in this new world.
"Before I go... what will my name be in this new world? It's not lame, right?"
"Your name? Ah, yes, your new name will be—"