1 A Lucky Man.
My name is Brand Mercer, 25 years old and... multimillionaire. Alas, I won't be able to take any of that with me to the grave soon.
From my good-for-nothing father -who abandoned me from a young age- I inherited three things. His blonde hair and his promiscuity; as for the last one, it was relative.
As I received a fist right to my gut and spit blood, I couldn't help but curse my 'luck' the precious factor that had taken me to this stage of luxury and debauchery, but at the same time, the only resource that I'd need right now yet won't find anywhere.
It was a filthy corner in the middle of Las Vegas, California... and a group of ten bastards have me surrounded, beating me to a pulp.
*BAANG!*
"UGH!"
I spat some teeth, smiling towards the man whose face I recognised; he was wearing a suit with an iron knuckle in his hand, delivering yet another blow to the stomach.
"What's the trick, Brand?"
I spat some blood on his face as his goon held me tightly, unable to exchange even a single fist, my guards? they were either taken care of or bribed, my luck is running out.
"There is no *cough!* trick, it was just luck~"
*BAANGG!*
This time the merciless bastard pinched my ribs, I think one of them snapped, it hurt like hell.
*COUGH!*
"Tell me what is the trick, Brand... you're going to die anyway, don't doubt it, but I need to know how you have been making money for the last ten years... you should have at least pretended".
'That's the damn problem, Rocco... there is no damn trick' I sighed inwardly.
"Brother Bruno, ask him where the money is too" One of the men -a shameless clingy rat- who had called me brother as well decided to ask for a yard after obtaining an inch.
So his name is Bruno, not Rocco... ah, I remember now, Rocco was the guy whose wife I slept with last month. I think my life is about to end, I can see my life past in front of my eyes while these gangsters consider my circumstances.
From a young age, I was what you would consider abnormally lucky, in some regards... in others, my life was a cluster of chaos and disaster. I was abandoned by my father who I later learnt was a man that won the lottery one day. He abandoned me and my mother, my mother left me in an orphanage... in the end, both of them abandoned me.
That is not a start I can consider 'lucky'; but from then on... I can't complain about my life. At school, I'd always find money in the most ridiculous places... as if it was destined to belong to me. When it comes to money, I couldn't complain. Lucky encounters, money landing on my lap out of nowhere... I recall how from a very early age I had the chance to meet a gangster who got me into the dealing business.
Using this marvellous resource I frequented all sorts of casinos, even then, I think I never inherited my father's degree of 'Luck' I never won the lottery as he did. The bastard spent all his money, threw it all into alcohol and women, went bankrupt and committed suicide. As for my mother, I never saw her again.
There was this gorgeous girl at school who I caught pleasuring herself to a teacher's name... to think this girl would do anything in order for me to not reveal her secret, she became my first girlfriend, an easy target to blackmail who eventually fell in love with me... eventually, we broke up when I found someone better a rich Lady I used to sell drugs to.
You could say... I never had to do anything, things would always converge towards me, it made me bold and confident, so much so that I never bothered to build anything important and long-lasting, what a shame.
If I ever made a mistake in my life, it was to always use every single individual around me as if they were pawns... never forming any bond, from the start I never trusted anyone and it lead me to this stage where I have no one to trust to save me except for luck itself.
Yes, from the beginning I have always loved and relied on my 'luck'.
Yet in this junction, Luck won't save me.
As Rocco punched me again and again, my life began slipping away, I don't see how luck can possibly kill all these goons and allow me to escape.
"Tch! stop! I WILL TELL YOU! I WILL TELL YOU WHERE MY MONEY IS!" I yelled, gritting my bloodied teeth, there is something else that I need to do.
I can't give up just yet!
Rocco stopped and regarded me for a while, he made some sign to the goon behind me and I was released, barely managing to maintain my footsteps as I grasped his shoulder, panting and struggling to not fall on my knees.
"The money..." I began and he allowed me to hold him to keep my footing.
"Tell me where is it and I will give you a quick death, Brand... no one can save you".
"That's what I'm going to say, Rocco..."
"It's Bruno..."
"As I was saying... the money is-!" I said for a single second before smirking wickedly, he caught my intention too late.
*BAAANGG!!*
!!!
"AHHHH!!!"
With all my strength I delivered the sweetest knee kick against his balls; it produced a hideous crunch noise as I destroyed any possibility for him to have offspring in the nearby or far future, yes, now I can die in peace.
"BASTARD!"
"KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"
And just like that, my life finished, abandoned completely by the look that accompanied me for my whole life. Or at least, that's what I believed.
***
***
"Where am I?" I asked myself, except for a nigh-blinding light, I couldn't see anything else.
"It has been such a long time... as expected, it was you~"
"Eh?"
I felt something warm and cosy envelope me, like the embrace of someone who was holding me dearly, when did I ever feel such a thing? a true warmth embrace. I had no eyes to see, or nose to smell... in this world, there was only light and warmth.
"Where am I?" I asked out of an impulse, not with a voice but with intent.
"You? this is the afterlife, Brand... right before your soul was sent to hell, I caught it".
"Hell, I see... that's logical. And you are?"
"My name is Sonasha, the Goddess of Luck~"
"Goddess of Luck...? why does it feel like that would make sense".
"You're unexpectedly calm... you can't see me, can't you?~"
"No, but I can feel you..."
"That's because I am holding your soul in my embrace, you have no idea how long I have desired to hold you like this..."
I don't know for how long she held me, it could have been seconds or years. But eventually, she spoke again.
"Sadly, I can't hold you like this forever, Brand... there is a reason why you were brought here, you have been chosen".
"Chosen for what?"
"Sorry, my dear... but there is no time to explain. Your soul doesn't belong in this world, I have ingrained in you the tool that shall assist you in this endeavour, you and I shall meet again soon, once you have a better understanding, in the meantime... there is something that I must do on this side to assist you as well".
"I see, can you at least tell me what I have to do?"
"Your highest priority in this world, dear... is to survive. But no need to fret; I have blessed you, and this blessing shall stay with you until your soul ceases to exist~"
I heard her voice numbing my mind like a lullaby; before I even knew my 'eyes' opened and I found myself inside a bedroom, at the bottom of a bunk bed.
In front of me, there was something that resembled a smartphone screen.
It was a circle, rotating as if in loading motion.
**
**
[Initializing System...]
[User detected; Brand Mercer].
[Blessing detected; The Goddess' Beloved]
[Showing status...]
...
[Name: Brand Mercer].
[Age: 17].
[Gacha Points: 1000]
[Skills: None].
[Powers: None].
[Inventory: Empty.]
**
**
I gasped and looked at the screen in front of me, my hand extended and phased through it as if it was some sort of augmented reality gadget, 'What is this?'
Standing up from the bed I realised this place was like some sort of dormitory where I share a bedroom with someone else; I walked up to the closest mirror in the toilet, the place was dirty, indicating a lack of hygiene, how disgusting.
I cleared the muffled window, someone had taken a shower here before me. What was in front of me was the face of a boy in his late teens, the same expression I had when I was seventeen years old. Rather handsome, not breathtaking, my body wasn't sculpted as it had been in my previous life after all the workouts I did, instead... I was but a barely handsome blonde-haired boy with clear blue eyes.
'Just what is going on... it wasn't a dream before...' I rubbed my forehead in exasperation, recalling my last moments dying at the hands of an infuriated Rocco. That hadn't been a nightmare, was it? is this one of those instances where a person dreams a whole life in one night? it certainly feels like that... did I dream my whole life?
'But then what is this screen?' I tried to touch it again unfruitfully until something else happened. A new notification.
[A message was not read from Goddess Sonasha, a thousand years ago].
[Do you wish to read? (Yes/No)]
'E-Eh? a-a thousand years ago?' what the hell is that supposed to mean?!
