Diary Entry 1
It was a normal Friday afternoon as Edward approached the end of his working day. He worked as a construction worker; it was an exhausting profession, defined by grueling physical labor.
"Finally, almost quitting time."
He looked forward to nothing more than that very moment. As soon as the time came to clock out, he was the first one out the door, making his way home. Edward walked down the street toward his house.
When he reached the intersection, he saw a giant circle in the sky that began to focus a massive light in a shimmering red.
The circle manifested into a rift. It was too bright for him, so he raised his hand to see better. Fascination took hold of him; instead of taking cover, this time rift piqued his interest, and he ran toward it which was a fatal mistake. The beam of light fired a concentrated bolt at him, slicing him in two and killing him instantly.
Now, everything was black. As he reflected, he saw his past memories playing before his eyes. He saw them all, one after another; some were beautiful memories, and some were bad.
"My memories are flashing past me. I guess that means I'm dead..."
His consciousness was fully present. He felt no fear, even though he could no longer feel anything quite the opposite. He was rather dejected that he hadn't been able to become a scientist. He thought to himself: If only I could have seen everyone one last time.
Suddenly, the entire space lit up. There Edward stood; he was surprised that he still looked the same as he had before his death. He wandered down a corridor. As he did, torches flared up, accompanying him along the way. Arriving at a massive door, he could only think: "Damn, that thing is huge... who is something like this built for? Giants?!" His face, however, remained neutral.
He opened the door and stepped through. There, he was greeted by beautiful surroundings: a garden with roses, tulips, lilies, and lavender. In the background, a waterfall trickled, but it wasn't loud, even though it seemed closer than one would believe. He walked along the path, which led him to a spot with pastries and a cup of tea.
"Is this for me? If so, who was hoping I'd die?"
He sat down and stared dreamily into the distance. When he noticed the click of something, he looked to the right and saw a beautiful woman with long orange hair and a lovely blue robe with decorations that looked like flowers. She approached and spoke softly. Her voice was kindhearted at least, that's what Edward thought. She looked at him with a soft gaze.
"You have died... however, your soul cannot pass on into the afterlife... I am sorry, but due to the rift and the splitting of your universe, souls are condemned to find no peace."
He sank into thought. This meant that even he would wander around or, even worse, simply cease to exist.
"Forgive me for interrupting, noble goddess, but I have a question."
She stopped and nodded.
"If we cannot pass on into a new body, where do our souls end up?"
She dramatized her statement slightly to nudge Edward toward saying "yes" later.
"The poor souls will have no salvation. Sniff, sniff."
He smiled slightly as he watched her dramatic performance.
"So that means we would only see our memories until we are reborn or reincarnated, right?"
She only nodded gently, her face a sign of seriousness. She asked for his name, which he hadn't mentioned yet. Although she already knew it, she acted as if she didn't. She did this out of kindness toward him, knowing that knowing too much might frighten others or make them suspicious.
Edward apologized when he realized he hadn't introduced himself.
"My name is Edward Meyers. Pleased to make your acquaintance..."
He said this with a neutral and goal-oriented voice. Then he looked at her; he waited for her turn to introduce herself, but she placed her arms on the table, folded her hands, and rested her chin on them.
"Ah... you're waiting for me to introduce myself... Then I shall not be so rude. My name is Aisha. As you can see, I am a goddess. I ensure that the dead who pass away find their peace or get a second chance."
She told him how she asked people about their deepest desires and then decided how to handle them. He listened sincerely, without letting himself be distracted. She noticed this; it was a small detail about him that would make him important for her mission. She looked into his blue eyes and, while she spoke, saw his wish.
"I have a decision for you to make, Edward. Either I send your soul into a new baby in another world which means you lose all memories of your previous life. Or... you save your time and keep your memories and your body by changing historical events and giving legends a happy ending."
She didn't tell him everything, as she hoped he would choose the second option. It was already clear to Edward what he would choose, but he thought about it once more before acting prematurely. He spoke aloud so she could hear him.
"So... either I get completely 'Isekai'd' without memories... or I get 'Isekai'd' and sent into several pasts, but I get to keep looking like this and retain my memories... Then there is only one choice for me: I'll take the second one."
As he said this, Aisha exhaled deeply. She was relieved; with him, she now had five gathered whom she could send throughout the past. She stood up elegantly and accompanied him to the gate that would send him to the first world. She gave him a return safeguard in case he succeeded.
"When you reach the first historical or legendary saga, perhaps you can also be the scientist you always wanted to be. And who knows, maybe you will also see people you know."
The first gate opened, and he looked at it; it was bright and white, he couldn't see anything more. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, one saw a determined man stepping confidently through the portal. He looked at her one last time.
"Thank you for the second chance."
She only waved as he walked through.