1 The Rebirth

Mc POV

I had always been alone. I never knew my parents, who died in a car accident when I was a baby. I grew up in an orphanage, where I was bullied and neglected by the other kids and the staff. I had no friends, no hobbies, no dreams. I just existed, day after day, waiting for something to change.

But nothing ever did. Until I was diagnosed with ELA, a rare and incurable neurological disease that gradually destroys the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. I started to lose control of my muscles, my speech, my breathing. I became trapped in my own body, unable to communicate or move. I wished I could end my suffering, but I had no one to help me. I was alone, even in my pain.

I decided to go for euthanasia, the only legal way to end my life. I filled out the forms, and waited for the day of my appointment. I was nervous, but also relieved. I hoped that death would bring me peace, or at least nothingness. I didn't believe in heaven or hell, or any kind of afterlife. I just wanted to stop existing.

I was wheeled into a sterile room, where a doctor and a nurse greeted me with sad smiles. They hooked me up to a machine, that would inject a lethal dose of drugs into my veins. They asked me if I had any last words, but I couldn't speak. I just tilted my head a bit, and closed my eyes.

I felt a cold sensation in my arm, followed by a wave of drowsiness. I drifted into unconsciousness, and then...

I woke up.

I opened my eyes, and saw a bright white light. I blinked, and realized I was in a completely white room. I tried to move, and felt a surge of shock. I could move. I could feel. I could breathe. I was alive.

I looked around, and saw a figure standing in front of me. It was also completely white, except for a black outline and a mouth on its face. It had no eyes, no nose, no ears, no hair. It was the most bizarre thing I had ever seen.

"Who are you?" I asked, surprised by my own voice. "Where am I?"

The figure smiled, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

"Hello, Michael. I am TRUTH. And you are in the space between worlds." It said, its voice reverberating across the entire space

"The space between worlds? What do you mean?" I asked, in a confused and intrigued tone.

"I mean exactly what I say. You are not in your world anymore, nor are you in any other world. You are in a place where all worlds are connected, and where anything is possible." It explained.

"Anything is possible? What are you talking about?" I asked, feeling curious.

"I am talking about your second chance, Michael. Your chance to live again, in a different world. A world of your choice." TRUTH offered, in a persuasive voice.

"My choice? What do you mean?" I asked, feeling intrigued.

"I mean that you can choose any world you want to be reborn in. A world of fantasy, or science fiction, or horror, or romance. A world where you can be a hero, or a villain, or anything in between. A world where you can have friends, and family, and love. A world where you can have fun, and adventure, and excitement. A world where you can be happy." It said, with excitement coming out of his voice with every word he spoke.

"Happy? Why would you offer me that? Why would you care?" I asked, feeling skeptical.

"I don't care, Michael. I am not here to help you, or to hurt you. I am here to observe you. You see, I am TRUTH, I have existed since time immemorial and I am bored. Bored of watching the same old stories, the same old patterns, the same old outcomes. I want something new, something different, something unpredictable. I want you, Michael. You are the perfect candidate for my experiment. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. You have no attachments, no regrets, no expectations. You are a blank slate, ready to be written on. You are my entertainment, Michael. And I am your benefactor." It said, in a voice that sounded cold and manipulative.

"Entertainment? Benefactor? Experiment? What are you saying? Are you some kind of god?" I asked the sheer scale of everything starting to give me a headache.

"No, Michael. I am not a god. I am TRUTH. And I am offering you a deal. A deal that you can't refuse. A deal that will change your life and mine for a short moment. A deal that will make you the one of the most interesting people in the multiverse." It said, in a voice that sounded proud and arrogant.

"What kind of deal?" I asked, feeling nervous and curious.

"A simple one, Michael. I will send you to a world of your choice, and give you a new body, a new identity, a new life. You will have free will, and you will be able to do whatever you want. There is only one condition. You have to bring excitement to the world you choose. You have to make things happen. You have to create stories. You have to entertain me." TRUTH said, its grin getting wider at his every word.

"Entertain you? How?" I asked, feeling confused and overwhelmed.

"However you want, Michael. You can be good, or evil, or neutral. You can be a hero, or a villain, or a bystander. You can be a leader, or a follower, or a loner. You can be a warrior, or a mage, or a thief. You can be a human, or an elf, or a dragon. You can be anything, and do anything. The only thing you can't be, is boring. You have to make your life interesting, Michael. You have to make your life worth watching. You have to make your life a masterpiece." It said, in a voice that sounded admiring and encouraging.

"A masterpiece? Why?" I asked, a weird feeling starting to creep on my nonexisting spine.

"Because, Michael. If you don't, I will end it. I will take away your life, and your soul, and your existence. I will erase you from the multiverse, and from my memory. I will forget you, Michael. And you will be nothing. Nothing at all." It said, in a voice sounding cruel and menacing.

As the final word left its mouth a feeling I had never felt before started welling up inside me, the feeling of survival every being had ingrained in them.

"That's the deal, Michael. Take it, or leave it. Live, or die. Choose, Michael. Choose now!" TRUTH said, its voice starting to shatter the very space around us.

I felt a surge of fear, anger, and curiosity. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. I looked at the white figure, and saw its mouth widen into a grin.

"Well, Michael? What will it be? What world do you choose?" It asked, in a voice that sounded curious and playful.

I hesitated, and then...

I made my choice.

***

3rd POV

She screamed, as the pain tore through her body. She pushed, as hard as she could, with all her strength. She felt something slip out of her, and then a wave of relief. She opened her eyes, and saw a smiling face. It was her husband, holding her hand, and wiping her forehead with a cloth.

"You did it, honey. You did it. You gave birth to our son. He's beautiful. He's perfect. He's ours." He said, in a voice that sounded happy and proud.

She smiled, and felt a tear roll down her cheek. She looked at the bundle in his arms, and saw a tiny face. A face with a small tuft of red hair, and purple eyes. A face that looked like hers, and his.

She reached out, and touched his cheek. He opened his eyes, and looked at her. He smiled, and let out a yawn.

She felt a surge of love, joy, and wonder. She hugged him, kissed him, and whispered in his ear.

"Hello, my baby. Hello, my son. Hello, my Kowai." She said, in a loving and tender voice.