Death isn't so bad. Mine was instant.
After a long night grinding through way too many horror and fighting games, I decided to step outside for a few seconds of vitamin D. That's when I saw it—a giant asteroid, seconds away from slamming into Earth.
Now, I know what you're thinking: What did I do? I did the only logical thing—I sprinted to my computer and started a mission. If I was going to die, I was going to die gaming, just like I always said I would.
Every second was precious. I was on pace with a world record when everything went white in an instant.
It wasn't like the power going out—it was everything. White above me. White below me. White all around. Then I noticed it: a single black dot on the ground, like an ant.
That's when I realized I couldn't move. Great. Eaten alive by an ant for all eternity—what did I do to deserve that?
Suddenly, I shrank down—or maybe the dot grew—until it became a figure. A person in all black with no face. He chuckled in a deep, raspy voice that sounded like an ancient door groaning open.
"You like that one, did you?"
I tried to speak, but no words came. Still, he answered without hesitation.
"Many think the dot is an ant. You, however, thought it was torture. Amusing."
His voice was like what I imagine a demon would sound like.
"So… what happens now?" I managed to ask.
The faceless figure tilted his head upward, revealing a rotating smile filled with black-and-yellow teeth, each one as thick as a finger.
"I'm debating." His grin never wavered. Silence stretched between us until I finally blurted, "So, is this a reincarnation thing, or am I doomed to eternal suffering?"
The impossible happened—his smile grew wider, far too wide for any human mouth.
"Debating on what level to give you."
That made me pause. Level, as in difficulty setting? Or something worse?
"Yes," he nodded, as if reading my thoughts.
I grinned back. "Then give me the highest difficulty—with the greatest rewards."
He laughed, and it wasn't a simple chuckle. It was long, drawn out, and evil enough to give me goosebumps—if I'd still had skin.
At last, he raised a skeletal arm and pointed. "Down."
With that one word, the floor gave way. I plummeted.
The endless white was gone. Below me stretched green and blue as far as the eye could see. As I dropped closer, I realized they were massive trees—redwood-sized, but bigger. Their branches were thick enough to drive a car across.
I braced for impact, sure I'd splatter against the trees or the ground, but I slowed. Drifting downward, I reached a village built high in the trees.
Humans lived there, dressed in medieval clothing and armor. Alongside them walked beings shaped like people, but with mushrooms sprouting from their bodies. Some even had mushroom caps for heads.
At the village center, I saw them more clearly. These mushroom folk weren't diseased—they were whole. Their dense, bark-like skin was brown or golden, and some were slender, with human-like faces and hair shaped like half mushroom caps.
A woman stood at the heart of the crowd, cradling a stillborn child. She wept golden tears that failed to stir the baby. A massive man shoved through the gathering, collapsing at the sight. He wrapped his arms around the woman and child, broken with grief.
The scene was gut-wrenching. I wondered why I was seeing this—until I felt myself pulled into the baby's body.
It was agony, like being dragged through a blender. Then I gasped, coughing up blood. My eyes flew open.
The man—my new father—stared down in disbelief, tears streaming. My mother's lips trembled as she wailed into his chest, but this time they were tears of joy.
I cried once, then quieted as her sobs drowned mine out. The crowd erupted in cheers. An elderly woman shuffled forward, a full mushroom cap crowning her head and smaller branches sprouting like antlers. Her gnarled staff glowed faintly as she pressed it to my chest.
Golden warmth spread through me. It felt so good I actually laughed, earning gasps of awe.
My father scooped me into his arms. Up close, he was barely in his late twenties, scar slashing across his face just shy of both eyes. His bright green gaze burned with pride. His skin was darkened by years outdoors, and his frame was juggernaut-like, clad in plate armor.
In the distance, I caught sight of a massive sword embedded in the carcass of a beast. Its black, oily skin stretched over a bear-like body, with four monstrous arms ending in claws.
This was no ordinary world. It was a dangerous one.
And me? I'd just been born into it. Human in appearance, but with a strange new fate. One thing was certain—this ride was going to get bumpy.