Wishing Upon a Goddess
Life is pain, just like the broken bones in my body. Every breath I took felt rather heavy as the dreaded truck-kun crushed me under its weight.
However, one might ask themselves what was going on, and you'd be surprised at how I got myself in this situation.
It all began at a local bookstore a few moments ago, where I left after purchasing the newest volume of the manga "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End."
I have been a huge fan of this beautiful masterpiece ever since the anime came out. The art, characters, and story, all were peak fiction for me.
Yet, there's one thing about this story that grinds my gears and it is the relationship between the main characters, Frieren and Himmel. They'd been traveling together with their party to defeat the demon king, but in the end, there was no spark between them.
Despite how much Himmel showed affection, Frieren remained unwaveringly oblivious to his advances. This annoyed me so much that I often found myself wishing I could grab both of their heads and smash them together like action figures, shouting, "Now kiss!"
Anyway, in my excitement, I did something incredibly dumb. I cracked open the manga I had bought and started reading it while walking home. Pretty stupid, right?
To make matters worse, my nose was buried so deep in those pages that I didn't even notice Truck-kun barreling down the street. The next thing I knew, BAM! I went flying, like a piñata without the candy. Dumbass.
As I lay on the ground, flickering like a faulty light bulb, I thought about how unfair everything was. I hadn't even finished reading the manga, and now I was staring death in the face. Soon enough, it was lights out for me, and everything went dark.
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You'd thought my story ended there, but apparently, it didn't.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the middle of a serene landscape, surrounded by a sprawling plain with wildflowers of every color imaginable. The air harbored a crisp aroma of pine and earth as if this place was straight out of a fantasy novel. But here I was, plopped in the center of it all, making it feel like a peculiar dream.
"Welcome, dear child. It seems you have finally arrived."
A feminine voice called out to me from behind. I turned around and laid eyes on a captivating beauty standing before me. With long curly hair that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and a crown of flowers on top of her head, she materialized with an ethereal presence.
"Um, hi... Uh... How are you today, ma'am?" I managed to stutter out, like a character straight out of a poorly scripted encounter with a deity.
She smiled warmly in response, seemingly casting a gentle glow. "I'm doing fine, thank you."
"So, uh... where am I? And more importantly, who are you?" I inquired, desperate to know my current location and the identity of this stunning woman.
The woman chuckled softly, laughing like the tinkling of bells. "You are current in the realm Between Worlds, a place where souls sometimes find themselves after... unexpected events."
"Unexpected events?" I repeated, scratching my head. "You mean like getting smooshed by Truck-kun while reading manga?"
"Precisely," she stated with a nod. "I am the Goddess of Rebirth, and I have summoned you here to offer you a chance."
"A chance?" I echoed, my curiosity piqued. "Like, a chance to finish reading my manga before I kick the bucket?"
She laughed again, this time it's more heartily. "No, dear child. A chance to fulfill a wish."
"A wish, huh?" I mused, suddenly feeling like I'd hit the cosmic jackpot. "So, I could wish for anything? Like, I don't know, an unlimited supply of my favorite ramen or the ability to turn invisible on command?"
The goddess smiled, shaking her head slightly. "Not quite. This wish is meant to give you a new purpose, something meaningful that can change the course of the world you'll end up reincarnating into."
Hearing her words, I couldn't help but feel ecstatic. The notion of reincarnating into another world was so good to be true that I could pinch myself to see if I was dreaming, although I didn't do it, fearing it would ruin the moment.
Anyway, I faced the Goddess, wanting to clarify something. "Can my wish be a sequence of wishes in one sentence?"
"If that's what you want, then proceed," the Goddess confirmed.
Hearing that, I pondered for a moment, tapping my chin. "Alrighty then, I've got just the thing. I wish to be reincarnated in a world where Frieren was able to reciprocate Himmel's affection and could conceive children with him, which is where I come in."
"That's quite a mouthful of a wish, but a very reasonable one," the Goddess remarked before clasping her hands together. "So be it. Your wish is granted, and may your new life bring you the fulfillment you seek."
With those words, she opened her hands and a ball of light appeared. The next thing I knew, everything went white. Finally, a new world awaited me, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of adventures I would experience soon.
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I drifted weightlessly through a haze of swirling colors and delicate whispers, like a cloud in a daydream. Shapes morphed and danced at the edge of my awareness, teasing me with hints of familiarity yet remaining tantalizingly elusive.
Suddenly, a gentle tug pulled me downward, and warmth enveloped me like a snug hug from a soft blanket. In response, my limbs jerked clumsily, attempting to make sense of this new world. Time appeared to stretch and twist, moments lingering like an eternity before slipping away in a blink.
My consciousness flickered like a faulty lightbulb, while shadows danced at the edges of my vision, offering fleeting vision into a world I was starting to understand.
And then, with a flutter of realization, it dawned on me—I had been reborn as a baby, which is both humiliating and surprising. Oh well, I guess I have to deal with this new sensation.