Raj heard something faint… a whisper, like an echo from a place beyond life itself.
At first, it was unclear — just murmurs drifting through the void. But slowly, as his consciousness began to surface, the words became clearer.
"Open your eyes, young soul…"
The voice was deep — neither male nor female — carrying a strange, divine weight that made his very soul tremble.
Raj's eyes snapped open, his body jerking upright in confusion. His breathing was shallow, his hands trembling slightly as he rubbed his face.
"Ah… you have opened your eyes, young soul,"
the voice echoed again, calm yet commanding, like the sound of an ocean beneath a storm.
"What the…?" Raj blinked rapidly, his gaze darting around.
His memories hit him like lightning — the van, the little girl, the pain tearing through his body, the sound of his bones snapping…
That wasn't a dream. That couldn't have been a dream.
His head spun as panic clawed at his chest.
"F–fuck… what's going on? I was hit! I died! This can't be happening! I'm not supposed to be alive…"
"You are right, young soul,"
the mysterious voice spoke again, cutting through his thoughts like a blade of calm through chaos.
"You are dead… yet."
Raj froze.
That voice — it wasn't coming from anywhere specific. It filled the space around him, inside him, like it existed in his mind and everywhere else at once.
His vision finally began to clear, and what he saw made his blood run cold.
He was no longer on a road, nor anywhere on Earth.
He stood in a boundless expanse of white.
No ground. No sky. No horizon. Just endless light stretching in all directions, soft yet blinding. It was like standing in the middle of nothingness — eternal and empty.
And before him… stood a figure.
Tall. Clad entirely in flowing white robes that rippled even though there was no wind. Its face was hidden beneath a deep hood, the only visible thing a faint, silvery glow from where its eyes should be.
The figure radiated a strange presence — neither warmth nor cold — but something ancient. Something that didn't belong in the world of the living.
Raj's throat went dry.
"W–Who… who are you? Where the hell am I?"
The figure tilted its head slightly, and though its face was hidden, Raj could feel its gaze pierce straight through him.
"Where you are, mortal, is not hell… not yet.
You stand between life and death — the threshold of the living and the forgotten."
Raj's heartbeat quickened. His voice trembled as he whispered,
"…The threshold of life and death?"
The figure nodded slowly.
"Your soul still clings to existence. It has been judged… and found unfit for rest. Now, it shall be weighed… and decided."
Raj's mind was spinning. Every word the being spoke carried a strange vibration, as if it resonated in his very bones.
He clenched his fists, his fear slowly giving way to frustration.
"What do you mean by weighed? I saved that kid! I didn't do anything wrong!"
The figure's head lowered slightly, as if amused.
"Indeed, you saved a life.
But mortal deeds alone do not decide fate… the soul does."
The air trembled around them, and suddenly, lines of glowing light began to form beneath Raj's feet — ancient runes swirling in patterns he couldn't comprehend.
Raj stumbled back, panic rising again.
"What the fuck is this?! What's happening to me?!"
"Be silent,"
the voice thundered now — not loud, but absolute. The very white void seemed to shake with its authority.
"You are being judged, Raj Mehra… the mortal who defied death to save another. Whether your soul shall fade… or be reborn… will soon be known."
The figure raised one pale, glowing hand, and the runes beneath Raj's feet flared with golden light — so bright it burned his eyes.
Raj screamed as his body felt weightless, like his soul was being ripped apart — his consciousness swallowed by light.
And in the midst of that blinding glow…
"Rise, young soul," the voice whispered once more,
"For your fate has only just begun."
"Your fate has been weighed,"
the mysterious voice echoed, calm and timeless.
"Though your life held little meaning, your death… carried great karmic essence.
In saving that child, you disturbed the balance between life and death — earning a chance few mortals ever receive."
The words lingered in the white void like ripples in water.
"You are being given… a choice."
Raj stood silently, still reeling from the absurdity of it all. His mind struggled to catch up, but then a ridiculous thought hit him — one that made his jaw drop slightly.
Wait a minute… this—this was exactly like those transmigration web novels he used to binge on.
The protagonist dies tragically and then — bam! — reincarnates in some fantasy world filled with magic, cultivation, and... Hot milfs.
His lips twitched.
Was this really happening?
Raj straightened a little, suddenly far more attentive. If this was going the "web novel route," he wasn't about to miss his cue.
The voice continued, patient and resonant:
"You have two choices.
One — come with me to the afterlife, where your soul shall rest eternally.
Two — reincarnate into another world, far from your home planet, Earth.
The body you will inhabit shall be that of an eighteen-year-old whose life has just ended."
The white-robed being raised its hand slightly, and the entire void shimmered like glass catching sunlight.
"Now choose."
Raj didn't even hesitate.
The first thing that left his mouth was—
"Does that world have magic and cultivation?"
The figure paused, then answered simply,
"It does ."
Raj frowned slightly. "Okay… does it have monsters and demons?"
"It does."
He nodded, rubbing his chin like he was seriously considering his options. Then, with the same tone one uses to ask about game graphics, he asked,
"Alright, but the real question is — does it have hot, sexy MILFs and waifus?"
For a moment, there was complete silence. Even the endless white space seemed to freeze.
Then, the voice sighed.
"…"
"Yes. It does."
Raj grinned — the kind of grin that could only come from a man who had lost everything and somehow still managed to find the energy to be an idiot.
"Then my choice is obvious," he said, his tone filled with smug finality.
"Send me there."
As you wish, young soul,"
the mysterious being said, raising a hand that shimmered like starlight in the endless white void.
But Raj's eyes widened.
"Wait—wait, hold on a second!"
The glowing hand paused mid-air. The hooded figure tilted its head ever so slightly, as though confused by the mortal's interruption.
Raj threw his hands up. "You're just gonna throw me there like that? No tutorial? No gear? No system? There are monsters out there, right? I'll die again in the first five minutes! What's even the point of this 'second chance' then?"
A soft sound came from under the hood — a sigh that echoed like a gust of ancient wind.
"Haaa… you mortals are all the same,"
the being muttered almost wearily.
"Very well, young soul. I cannot grant you direct power. However… I shall allow you to test your luck — three times."
Raj blinked. "Wait… like a gacha?"
"You could… phrase it that way,"
the being replied after a long pause, as if the concept of gacha had just been downloaded into its divine vocabulary.
Suddenly, the white void shimmered.
A glowing panel appeared before Raj, suspended in the air — sleek, blue, and radiating faint pulses of light. At its center spun a wheel, divided into dozens of golden slots, each marked only with a glowing "?" symbol.
"This wheel holds countless possibilities,"
the being explained, its voice resonating deeper now.
"Treasures, techniques, and blessings — both divine and cursed. You may spin it three times. Whatever fate grants you… will be yours."
Raj's eyes lit up like a kid about to open loot boxes.
He rubbed his palms together with a grin. "Alright then, let's see if my garbage luck finally pays off!"
The wheel began to glow brighter, humming softly as symbols shimmered around it like constellations. Raj stepped forward, cracked his neck dramatically, and reached out.
"Alright, baby…" he muttered under his breath. "Let's spin this thing."
Raj extended his hand toward the glowing wheel.
"Alright, baby… don't screw me over," he muttered, gripping the edge and giving it a strong spin.
The wheel began to whirl, its golden lights flashing wildly, the air vibrating with a soft hum. Symbols of light and darkness shimmered around it like tiny constellations. Raj watched it with bated breath as it spun faster, faster—then slowly began to decelerate.
Ding!
A deep thrum echoed across the void. One of the slots glowed—not golden, not silver—but a dark crimson, almost black in color.
Raj blinked. "That… doesn't look good."
The cloaked being tilted its head, its hidden eyes narrowing slightly.
"Ahh… your luck is not good, young soul. That is a cursed item."
Raj groaned. "Fuck… I knew this was going to happen! Of course I get the cursed one first spin. Classic gacha bullshit!"
The being sighed again.
"Let us see what fate has granted you."
The dark light condensed before Raj, swirling violently until it burst outward in a wave of shadow. A dark orb shot out from the panel, pulsing with life.
Raj flinched back as it hovered before him—thumping softly, rhythmically.
Thump… thump… thump…
Before his wide eyes, the orb twisted, morphed, and took form.
What hung in the air now was a black, pulsating heart, veins of crimson energy snaking across its surface. It beat with an eerie rhythm that made the air itself vibrate.
The wheel's panel flickered, and glowing text appeared across it:
[Cursed Heart of the Demonic Dragon]
Raj's mouth fell open. "The what now?"
Even the mysterious being remained silent for a long moment, as if carefully weighing the implications. Its gaze sharpened beneath the hood.
"That…" it finally spoke, voice lower than before, "…is an ancient relic of sin. A heart that once belonged to the Demon Dragon Tyranthos — a creature whose existence was erased by the gods themselves."
Raj blinked twice. "So… like… that's bad, right?"
The being's silence said everything.
Then, after a long pause, it spoke again.
"Be prepared, young soul. The next turn may decide your fate entirely."
The wheel began to glow once more, brighter than before. Its symbols shifted restlessly, as though aware of the cursed presence floating beside Raj.
Raj cracked his knuckles, forcing a nervous grin. "Alright then, bring it on. Maybe my luck can't get any worse."
Thanks for reading.....