Death and the Void
Darkness. Silence. Then, awareness.
For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or dead. His last memory was blurred—flashes of headlights, the blaring honk of a truck, and a sudden impact that sent his world spiraling into nothingness.
Then he was here.
A vast, endless void. No light, no sound, just an overwhelming emptiness stretching infinitely in all directions. Before him stood a glowing, shifting entity—no face, no form, just a presence that radiated absolute authority. An AI? A god? Whatever it was, he could feel its gaze drilling into his very soul.
A voice, cold and mechanical, reverberated in his mind.
"Soul recognized. Processing rebirth cycle… Randomizing new world."
No Wishes, No Mercy
Wait… was this one of those reincarnation scenarios? The kind he'd read about in novels? If so, that meant—
"Wait! Do I get three wishes?" he blurted out, heart pounding with excitement and anxiety.
The entity paused. Then, for the first time, it acknowledged him directly.
"Why would I grant you any wishes?"
The voice was emotionless, but something about its tone made his stomach drop.
"This is not a charity. You have done nothing of significant value to warrant special treatment. Your existence, like many before you, is inconsequential in the grand scale of the multiverse."
His excitement shattered. "But… but in all those stories—"
"Stories. Fiction. Do not mistake them for reality."
He gritted his teeth. This AI wasn't like those benevolent gods or mischievous reincarnation overseers. This thing was a machine, a system that didn't care about fairness or wish fulfillment.
The entity continued, as if sensing his frustration.
"Wish fulfillment was once implemented. However, past reincarnates abused the system. They requested overpowered abilities, destabilized worlds, and forced divine intervention to correct the chaos they caused. The balance of multiple realities was disrupted."
A pause. Then, the final nail in the coffin.
"Wishes were removed as an option. All reincarnations are now randomized to ensure fairness."
His mind reeled. So no special abilities, no choosing his world, no godlike powers? He'd just be thrown into a new life with whatever scraps the system gave him?
"This is bullsh—"
"Reincarnation confirmed. Assigning world… Processing..."
A New Destiny
Before he could protest, reality twisted. The void collapsed around him, his consciousness dragged through an unseen force. Colors, lights, and sounds blurred together, drowning his senses. The last thing he heard was the AI's final statement.
"You have been assigned to a new cycle. Live wisely."
Then, everything went black.