~{???}~
With her vision completely taken by darkness, her mind emerged from the depths of her own brain.
Somehow, she was unable to remember anything, as if her memories had been taken.
Little by little, her eyes opened, allowing a strong light to come towards her.
Her surroundings slowly revealed themselves.
Her body, aching and taken by a feeling of strangeness, was sitting on a wooden chair. In front of a table made from the same materials.
A small lampshade with strong light shone against her face, hurting her eyes a little.
— Where am I...? — The girl's voice came out hoarse as she looked around. Walls painted in dark green. A weak lamp on the ceiling that illuminated the furniture in the place.
Besides the chair and the study table, there was a bed right behind her, its sheets and blankets extremely messy. Beside the bed was a relatively old wardrobe, half open and with a mirror on its door. And finally, beside the study table,
a wooden rack with a television on top.
Forcing her own body to rise, she calmly made her way to the mirror, trying as much as possible to not fall to the floor. Upon reaching the mirror, her appearance was slowly revealed.
A young girl, no more than sixteen years old. Her eyes had heavy dark circles. From her shoulders, black, straight hair came down to her back. Her skin was slightly pale, and her eyes shone in a red coloration.
Her body was covered by greenish pajamas with wavy black details.
Her hands, trembling, soon made their way to her face, squeezing it, trying to prove to herself that that situation was real and not just a dream. Upon feeling the texture of her face, memories began to resurface from the depths of her mind.
~~{///}~~
She had always been a girl different from the others. Reason? Her own inner desires. Maria, on the inside, possessed desires that could never become reality. Cruel desires, desires for greatness, and yearnings for massacre... Not even her own family could understand her mind.
And when she reached her adolescence, that rot only grew. She looked at other people and could only see them as inferior. Always questioning herself with the same questions: how can they be so stupid? How can they be so incapable? How do they manage to live being so useless?
With each passing year, that hatred, that rot, that desire for greatness and death only grew. An unstoppable snowball was forming inside her.
When she turned 20, she decided to improve herself, to keep herself greater and better than everyone. So she plunged into studies and colleges. Her parents did not care about her existence, so she found a job of her own and soon left home.
After years of striving and forcing herself to stay in environments full of useless people, she slowly began to see the fruits of her effort.
And it was then that, almost as if the world itself were mocking all her effort and grit, Maria's life came to an end in an unexpected way. An accident in a subway, where the tunnel collapsed. She remained suffering, buried by debris, and after three horrific days, she finally took her last breath. However, at the same time that her life ended prematurely, her new chance arrived.
~~{///}~~
— Ugh... What place is this? — Maria's consciousness slowly returned from the confines of death, revealing to her everything around her. She was in a white room, completely without furniture or entrances, a colorless cube.
— ... — Getting up from the cold, white floor, she could see that all that space was not a cube but rather an environment that extended far beyond what her eyes could see.
— Welcome, child. — A voice echoed through the infinity of the environment. — I see that your soul has recovered more quickly than expected.
In front of her, tearing the space she was looking at, a rift opened. Like glass being shattered, shards of reality itself fell against the ground as a hand came out of the opening.
The rift soon grew large enough so that whatever was on the other side could pass through. And so it did. Its figure was feminine, with golden, curly hair that fell to the lower part of her back. Her face was taken by a threatening gaze, coming from red eyes. Her light skin, almost pale, stood out against the white room itself.
— Who are you? "What place is this?" Maria questioned, taken by confusion.
The woman said nothing, only raised her hand. Then, another rift appeared, this time on the ground. A dark metallic throne slowly came out of the rift; there were golden cracks that covered much of it. The woman soon sat on the throne and looked Maria in the eyes.
— I am the person who can give you the best opportunity of your existence. — The woman extends her hand, from which emerges a piece of paper. — In short, you will be reborn in a new world of your choice with my blessing.
The paper was covered with letters in a language that Maria was unable to decipher. Maria just stood still, crossed her arms, and kept staring at the woman's face.
— What is it? Just take the paper and sign it. The woman shook the paper, rushing Maria.
— I know very well that there are no gifts delivered or "good actions" done without wanting something in return. I am very confused at the moment, but not confused enough to sign a mysterious paper given by an unknown person. Maria replied, looking directly into the woman's eyes.
— Pfft... Hahahahahaha... Impressive! You really were the right choice. Most souls that meet me sign the paper without even thinking twice. The woman continued laughing for a few seconds and then let go of the paper, which disappeared into the air.
Rising from the throne, she went to Maria. The woman reached 2 meters in height, which forced Maria to look up.
— I will explain properly now. My name is Kalia. I am the goddess who takes care of death and the cycle of reincarnation. And, well... you are dead. The self-proclaimed goddess explained while looking directly at Maria's face. — Right after you died, I could see your soul making its way to the cycle of reincarnation. However... your soul is stained, rotten beyond anything I have ever seen. And even so... you strangely never committed crimes or broke laws. You lived your entire life like a caged demon... And that greatly interferes with my work.
The goddess's hands went to the girl's face, grabbing her chin and forcing the young woman to bring her face closer.
— Rotten and corrupted souls must be discarded from the cycle of reincarnation. However, you never committed a crime or a sin great enough to be punished. That is... even though you possess such a filthy soul, you can still be reincarnated. — The goddess slowly released the girl's face and returned to her throne, sitting down. — And that is exactly what I was looking for. Someone with a rotten soul, someone as cruel and thirsty for violence as you.
She raised her hand again, something new appearing. This time, in contrast with the white room, a black medallion appeared in her hand. Writings covered the entire object, its letters written in a scarlet coloration.
— I was not lying; I will allow you to reincarnate in a world of your choice, with my blessing. However, I will expect you to do something for me. The goddess extends her hand, waiting for Maria to take the medallion. The young woman soon does so, holding the medallion in her hands.
"What?" asked the girl, her gaze vibrating with anxiety.
— Cause as much chaos as possible. Bathe this world in pure suffering, death, and violence. The goddess smiled, her teeth shining as her face contorted in a strange way. Almost as if the goddess was only trying to imitate a human expression.
— But why? What do you gain from this? The goddess only smiled even more upon hearing Maria's question.
— Gods become stronger as their concepts are practiced. Just as the more believers they have. If you bathe a world in death and chaos, while spreading my name across the desolated lands... — She rose from the throne, opening her arms, with her face taken by ecstasy. — ... I will be able to knock all those filthy gods off the top!
Maria just smiled, feeling a strange familiarity with the goddess in front of her.
"I accept the deal," said Maria, approaching the goddess.
— Perfect! Just choose the world in which you want to reincarnate and then squeeze the medallion tightly. Thus our contract will be made. Explained the goddess, placing one of her hands on Maria's shoulder. — I expect great things from you, child with the corrupted soul.
The figure soon disappeared into smoke, as dozens of holograms appeared around Maria. Each one showing a different world with a light description of it.
With a smile on her face, the young girl squeezed the medallion and finally brought her hand to her choice.