Chapter 01: Not Prologue
Fanfic by: Geraint124x
It was a bright morning, the kind that made you want to walk instead of ride. So, I did just that. I was heading to work, strolling along the city streets. I'm just an ordinary guy in his mid-twenties, with black hair and brown eyes. I work as a cook in a restaurant inside a high-class hotel—not exactly a glamorous life, but it pays the bills.
The weather was nice today, and my workplace wasn't far from my apartment. I figured a walk would do me some good.
"Kyaaah! Ah—It fell!"
Just as I passed a residential building, a woman's scream rang out above me. My instincts flared. Without thinking, I jumped to the side.
CRASH!
A large ceramic flower pot smashed into the pavement right where I'd been standing.
"That was close—" I began to mutter.
Honk! Hoooonk!
Only to realize... I was now standing in the middle of the road.
A massive ten-wheeler truck roared toward me, horn blaring. I saw it just in time—and worse, the driver's seat was empty.
In a burst of adrenaline, I leapt back with a long dash and flipped through the air. My body twisted mid-flip as the truck thundered past below me.
"Not so fast, Truck-kun! Did you think I'd die that easily?" I said with a confident grin as I landed smoothly.
But then—
Huh? Why do I feel... no ground?
"Waaaah?!"
In a comedic twist of fate, I landed right onto an open manhole.
And everything went black.
When I came to, I felt dizzy. My vision was blurry. As it cleared, I realized I was riding on a wooden wagon down a snowy mountain path. There were three others with me, all with hands bound like mine.
"No... no no no. Not this. Anywhere but this."
Then—
"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."
A blond man beside me spoke. My heart sank.
"No way..."
"Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along." the gagged man growled. "If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell."
"You there. You and me—we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants!"
"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief," another man muttered.
"Shut up back there!" a soldier barked.
Someone glanced over at me.
"And what's wrong with him?"
"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King!"
Ulfric?! Skyrim?!
My mind reeled.
Am I seriously in that meme?
I barely had time to process before—
CRASH!!!
The wagon jolted violently. I flew out the side.
Darkness again.
When I opened my eyes, I was inside a mangled ambulance, the world outside a blur of red lights and wreckage. I could hear sirens and screaming.
It wasn't a dream. The truck had hit me after all.
Blood seeped from my body. My vision faded again. So this... this is death?
It's cold. Quiet. Lonely.
And then... blackness.
I awoke in a blindingly white room.
"Ugh..." I groaned, sitting up.
"Welcome to heaven, young one," a calm voice said.
Turning around, I saw her—a breathtakingly beautiful woman with long, flowing blonde hair and golden eyes. She wore a white, regal dress with a golden sash. She had a divine aura that made it clear: this was a goddess.
I stood up slowly, blinking at the surreal surroundings.
"You already know how you died, so I'll skip that part," she said casually. "The God of Death has chosen you to be reincarnated into another world. You'll be sent to a—"
"Wait!" I interrupted, raising my hand.
"What is it?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Why me? There are thousands of NEETs and shut-ins who would kill for this. I had a decent life. Why drag me here?"
She sighed.
"To be honest... most of them are just too cringy. Horny, idiotic, and pathetic. The moment they see a pretty girl, they lose it. You're... slightly more tolerable."
"All humans are horny, Goddess-sama," I said, crossing my arms. "It's just a matter of self-control. I mean, even now I'm trying really hard not to stare at your thicc thighs."
"Oh? Like what you see?" she teased, slipping her leg out from the split in her dress.
"Don't mind if I do." I grinned, stepping forward.
But just as I reached out, she kicked.
WHOOSH! CRACK!
The air exploded as her leg missed me by inches, the shockwave shattering the floor.
"Nice reflexes," she said with a deadly smile. "You're growing on me."
"D-Don't try to kill me! I'm already dead!"
"You wouldn't die. You'd just cease to exist entirely."
I backed away.
This goddess is a freakin' yandere...
"Ahem. Anyway, let's continue. I've been instructed to let you choose five boons before you reincarnate. These can be skills, items, or abilities. But what you get depends entirely on your luck."
She summoned a glowing crystal ball and floated it toward me.
"Just touch it with your palm. The rest will happen automatically."
Taking a deep breath, I placed both hands on the crystal.
A blinding light burst forth, followed by five small glowing orbs that floated around me before transforming into five slips of parchment.
I read each one aloud.
[Active Skill: Steal]
"...A perverted skill for cultured men."
[Ability: Full Counter]
"...Meliodas style. Pretty busted."
[Ninjutsu: Deva Path]
"Almighty Push? Yes, please."
[Magic Item: Disguising Black Mustache]
"...Why?"
[Item: Random Body Change]
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, the four parchments turned into light and fused with me. The fifth one—the mustache—remained in my hand.
Then, a radiant light engulfed my body.
"What's happening?!"
The goddess just smirked as I shrank.
When the light faded, I looked down—and realized I was now a child.
"Pfft—!" the goddess burst out laughing. "You got younger! You look adorable. Look!"
She summoned a mirror.
I gasped.
Blue hair.
Red tattoo markings above and below my right eye.
"This... This is Jellal Fernandes from Fairy Tail!"
"Impressive draw," she said. "And since you got that body... I'll be sending you to the Fairy Tail world as your reward."
"No—WAIT! Don't—!"
She appeared in front of me, bent down, and flicked my forehead.
"Sorry, little boy. Decision's made."
Everything faded.
To be continued...