Guns are loud.
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"Welcome." The voice reverberated through the endless span of void. The origin is indistinguishable.
I reached to scratch the side of my neck a habitual nervous pattern built from years of compounded office work stress. Only the familiar sight of my right limb was gone.
Actually all of my body is gone.
I feel nothing. Having nobody will do that to you.
"Testing testing 1, 2, and 3" Upon the final count the void around me unraveled. Color spilled in blobs forming a plain office. Brown floors, two beige cushions, creme colored walls, and no ceiling.
I felt my body return to me. Bone reknit to tendons mounted upon by flesh as the various systems reignited sending a unimaginable amount of feedback to my synapses.
The pleasant slightly cool air, the smell of fresh leather, and the comforting presence of the beige cushion beneath me.
As my body finished its reassembly I felt everything finally click.
"What the hell." Shooting up from the cushions an instinctive urge to get out overtook me. I'm not sure where my head was out before, but I'm not foolish enough to wait for whatever put me here to come back. Best to take my chances on the outside rather than to be at the mercy of whatever awaits me.
Looking up I froze. He almost forgot there's no ceiling. But what his mind failed to register was the face peering at him from up high.
Or at least the facsimile of a face.
It had eyes, several more pairs than normal, various hues scattered around never still loosely hanging upon a pure white canvas. A slit carved at the bottom half, no nose though so the full qualifications aren't there.
I dropped to my knees. How I hadn't recognized this before I had no response. But it was here now undeniably.
My eyes widened and expanded uncontrollably in my sockets. Was this a god was this God?
Fervent resolve to adjoin to this creature subsumed me in the face of this being what was my desire. What was my pitiful attempt to become a figure such as this back on Earth. Insignificant. Worthless. This was truth.
From it's mouth unmoving holy noise emitted, "This guy's head is totally wiped isn't it."
This being was correct my mind was wiped clean of all past thoughts replaced with what-
His grace disappeared, a disgusting wooden cabin style roof taking its role.
A tap on my shoulder shook me at of my fervor. I was greeted with a mirror embellished in some sort of runic scripture.
"You're not me, you're you."
A neat trimmed brown eyed and haired man reflected.
I was me. Of course I was me. What type of statement was that. I was me and wish to be no other.
Or at least I thought until about thirty seconds ago.
A pair of stark white hands gripped the floating mirror before removing it.
A floating mirror. Honestly the past few moments have been full of so much I really don't find it too unbelievable.
My eyes traced the being as it put the mirror … within itself?
Seemingly ignoring the opposing cushion the entity sat down it's entirely white humanoid self looping an arm around my shoulders.
Despite the things arm on my shoulder I felt a distinct lack of feeling.
"How'd you like my entrance?" It's voice no longer projected outside, but directly into my skull.
I had zero interest in entertaining this thing, "I'm dead aren't I."
"You are."
"What about my followers?"
"Dead too."
"My temple?"
"Burned."
"My message."
"Censored and forgotten."
"Huh, I don't feel near as sad as I should."
In a way it was a blessing. Even though his following grew it never really was established on firm ground. The unfortunate truth about cults is you can't just step away once you've started. Especially if you were the founder.
The voice echoed once again, "So this is the part where you ask why you're here and what just happened."
My mouth unwittingly parted sharp notes exiting my vocal chords, "WHAT did you do to me! WHY did you take me here! WHO are you! I kis-"
I shot my hand up forcefully closing my jaws as muffled sounds attempted to escape. He could feel the joy emanating from it. The sounds slowly receded as he transitioned the forceful hand into a resting fist upholding his face.
No one steals my mystique. It's unbefitting of someone of my status. Even if I did want to ask. Appearance is everything.
"I'm going to answer back to front. Yes you do kiss ass stop acting like you don't remember yourself about 10 minutes ago. My name is only comprehensible to my most dutiful worshippers; most of my followers call me The One Who Holds Up The Sky. Not like Atlas in your earthly lore. You can call me A though Jonathan. I took you here because you qualify and I showed you a taste of what's to come."
Jonathan. A name I hadn't heard in some time. Not that it mattered A was clearly above me in terms of status even if only temporary.
Opening my mouth I realized that no words were exciting. Facing A my eyes let out the briefest look of questioning before returning to their solemn stare.
"Yeah talking time is up, my entrance took up a lot of time. It was necessary though trust me. Basically you're outside the normal reincarnation cycle due to the influence of the organization. I'm your chosen processor. What's going to happen is I'm going to send you to the world of Reincarnated as a Slime. You haven't watched a lot but you know the premise, but even if you hadn't it doesn't matter. By law you get 3 wishes. I already chose 3 for you, no need to thank me."
Light converged in front of me before forming a plain black cellphone. It dropped into my lap with a thud.
"There's your first. A cellphone connected to Earth's internet and power. Your second and third are still semi your choice."
A list unraveled itself inside of my mindscape.
"Two types of magic. Guaranteed affinity and built in textbook. I'm going to unlock your mouth. I'm running low on time so just the two types is all I need to hear."
I felt the mental barrier come loose. I had already made my decision "Biomancy for-"
The seal was replaced. Are you serious?
"And I'm choosing your second. Told you what I needed anyways I'm spinning the wheel."
A wheel manifested itself in front of us glowing in several neon colors. At some point A had appeared next to it. Gripping it A spun.
The wheel erupted into a nauseating pattern before slowing down on.
THAUMATURGICAL CARTOGRAPHY
A erupted into laughter.
"THERE'S 0 WAY OUT OF ALL THE THINGS NOT FIRE, NOT WATER, NOT TIME, NOT VOID, BUT SOMETHING HELLISHLY SPECIFIC LIKE THAT."
Hm. Well.
The laugher slowed down. "Jonathan I haven't laughed like that in so long. As your reward I'm going to spin your first one too."
Save me.
Another blinding spin later.
RESONANT PATTERN MANIPULATION
"Hm not as funny as the first guess I got a bit carried away I'll upgrade it a bit as compensation."
The words rearranged themselves
RESONANCE
"A bit broader, you'll thank me later. Anyways I can see the joy leaking from your face. I'm going to go ahead and send you on down. You won't start as a baby. You'll be about eight. Blew the budget and go over the time so you're going to have to suffer some downgrades. You don't get to be a monster either… budget issues and all that. I can make you a half human half dark elf so at least you won't die in a century. Well Jonathan or actually I totally forgot I have to rename you. Aeylesh will do. Have fun, don't die, do what you did before and we might be able to come in contact again."
The room came out from beneath me as I silently fell. I'd been completely robbed. No doubt about it. Scammed. Hoodwinked. Whatever you wish to call it. Dreams of biomancy and astral magic to create all sorts of cosmic beings to inspire reverie are dead.
What can you do though. Closing my eyes as I embraced the darkness. It seemed once again I'd been called to rise through the mud against all odds.