For several seconds, neither Elena nor I moved.
The world around us was frozen in shades of gray. Flames hung motionless in the air. The dragon's open jaws were locked in place, its breath halted just before releasing destruction. Even the wind had stopped.
Only the woman standing before us moved freely.
She walked closer, her steps light, almost playful, as if she were strolling through a garden rather than the ruins of a doomed village. With every step, the pressure in the air increased. Not hostile. Just overwhelming.
I swallowed.
"Who are you?" I asked.
She tilted her head slightly, smiling as if amused by the question.
"I am a goddess," she replied.
The word didn't feel exaggerated. It felt accurate.
My mind raced. Gods weren't supposed to exist. Or maybe they always had, and humans were simply too insignificant to notice.
"Are we… dead?" Elena asked quietly.
The goddess nodded.
"Yes. The moment I arrived, you both died."
I clenched my fists. So that was it. Even before the dragon finished us, our lives had already ended.
"But don't make that face," the goddess added lightly. "I didn't come here without reason."
She raised a hand, and two faint lights appeared between her fingers.
"I have a proposal for you."
I exhaled slowly. If we were already dead, there was nothing left to lose.
"What kind of proposal?" I asked.
"Conquest," she replied. "Growth. Ascension."
She waved her hand, and images appeared in the air around us. Worlds unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. Castles. Battlefields. Strange creatures. Magic beyond anything I had seen.
"You will conquer five worlds."
Elena frowned. "Conquer?"
"Yes," the goddess said. "In each world, you will be reincarnated. You will grow stronger, rise to the peak, and become the strongest beings in that world. Once you succeed, you move on to the next."
"And after the fifth?" I asked.
The goddess smiled.
"You will earn the right to choose. Ascend to the world of the gods and live peacefully… or remain in any world you desire as its absolute strongest."
Elena and I exchanged glances.
Power. Freedom. Choice.
It was everything the old world had denied us.
"The worlds you'll be sent to," the goddess continued, "are ones you already know."
I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"They are worlds from novels you have both read."
Elena stiffened.
I looked at her.
"You read novels?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
She turned her head away, a faint blush creeping up to her ears.
"I… do," she admitted quietly.
That alone almost broke my image of her.
The goddess laughed softly.
"The first world you'll enter is called The First King's Legacy."
My expression darkened slightly.
I knew that world.
The protagonist was a classic hero type. Strong, reckless, impossibly lucky. The kind of person who walked into danger and somehow came out stronger.
Someone very similar to Louis.
"Do we become the main characters?" I asked immediately.
The goddess shook her head.
"No. You will not replace the protagonists. You are free to act however you wish. You are not bound by the story."
A weight lifted from my chest.
"Good," I muttered. "I don't like risking my life every chapter."
Elena nodded in agreement.
"There is one more thing," the goddess said, her tone shifting slightly. "The power system in each world will adapt to you."
She explained that while the rules of each world differed, our souls would retain growth potential beyond normal limits. We would not start as gods, but our ceilings would be far higher than anyone else's.
Skills would evolve. Classes could change. Limits could be broken.
But death was still possible.
"You won't be invincible," she warned. "Only capable of becoming so."
I liked that honesty.
"One last question," I said. "What do you gain from this?"
The goddess smiled knowingly.
"Entertainment. Curiosity. And proof."
"Proof of what?"
"That mortals can reach us," she replied.
Silence followed.
Then she clapped her hands lightly.
"Oh, and before we begin, I want something in return."
I tensed.
"What?" I asked carefully.
She leaned closer, her eyes shining with mischief.
"A hug."
Elena and I froze.
"A… hug?" I repeated.
"Yes," she said cheerfully. "That's all."
I stared at her. Of all the prices a goddess could ask for, this was the last one I expected.
"…Fine," I said slowly.
I stepped forward.
Up close, her presence was overwhelming. Not oppressive, just immense. When I wrapped my arms around her, I expected something cold, distant, divine.
Instead, she felt warm.
Human.
For a brief moment, the world felt peaceful.
She pulled away reluctantly.
"Thank you," she said softly.
I hesitated, then asked, "When you say we'll become gods… does that mean we'll be like you?"
She smiled.
"Yes. If you succeed."
That answer stayed with me.
The goddess raised her hand once more.
"I've prepared a small gift for each of you," she said. "Think of it as compensation."
The gray world began to crack, like glass under pressure.
"Live well," she added. "Struggle. Grow. Entertain me."
Our consciousness started to fade.
As everything dissolved into darkness, I felt something new settle deep within my soul. A presence. A promise of power waiting to be unlocked.
The last thing I saw was Elena beside me, her expression calm, determined.
For me, it was the end of one life.
And the beginning of another