Death and An Opportunity

—Hi, how are you?— = Dialogue

—"Is she alright."— = Thoughts

—*yawn* I'm so tired.— = Actions during speech

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David Lukssën is what you would call a normal human being. Well, he used to be, a few minutes ago. Right now, he is nothing but a charred body lacking any possible sign of life. As for how that happened... It's quite an easy story to explain, but rather hard to believe. Before we do that though, it is only fair we explain a bit more about the deceased. As a sign of respect, of course.

David used to be quite a normal child while growing up. There was literally nothing weird about his childhood. A normal family with two parents and two older siblings, a brother and a sister. Even if they had, like most families, their problems and arguments, they still managed to be united and relatively happy. Back to David, he grew up under the influence of siblings 18 and 17 years older than him, respectively. His brother, a rebel teenager, would at times disappear for an entire week, only to be found on the cybercafe with his friends. His sister was the complete opposite, a model daughter and student. Having both influences on him, David was the best of both worlds. Trying to be a bit more like his brother, he became playful and a bit of a trickster himself; trying to be like his sister, he also got high scores and was a model student.

He followed a very simple moral code. He would help when he could, but he would try his best not to get involved in unnecessary issues. Alas, he couldn't stand certain things. Like that one time he beat a guy up for hitting a woman. Or that one time a bully punched his friend, who had asthma, in the chest. He would get angry in those situations. In the end, even if he tried, he hated unfairness, injustice and evildoers even more than he hated problems.

When he finally reached his teenagehood, David had begun paying Pokémon games under his brother's influence. After that first contact with videogames, David was hooked. Final Fantasy, Persona, God of War, Fallout, Mass Effect. Every franchise and stand alone title you could think of, he probably played. Balancing his gaming life with his studies and social life was quite hard, but he managed to do that pretty well, even having a few girlfriends through the years. At age 21, David was almost through with his studies, and was supposed to graduate as an English Teacher. Supposed being the key word.

He was playing Genshin Impact, his latest exploit, when the fateful, sad and unbelievable accident happened. While a storm raged outside, he was quite comfortable, sitting on a sofa in his room and playing. A perfect example of what we all wish we could do every day of our lives -not really, that would be sad. Alas, destiny had different plans for David than a simple "waifus 'n' chill". As if by magic -since there is no other explanation- a lightning fell from the sky, going straight towards him. After breaking through David's window and giving him a short millisecond to react, which David used to say goobye to his loved ones, it reached him. Another millisecond later, David lost his consciousness. This time, forever... or not?

*

After what felt like a short second, David woke up in a place he couldn't recognize. It wasn't anywhere on Earth though -that much he could tell. The entire place had an ethereal appearance to it. It looked a bit like Rivendell, from The Lord of The Rings, but even more mystical. Fountains of the whitest material he had ever seen decorated the place, which he now recognized as a garden of sorts. Moving closer, he looked into the fountain, only to see his entire body had changed.

His once short black hair was now blonde and reached a bit below his shoulder blades, his almond-brown eyes were now a bright blue and his tanned skin was now of a peerless white. He had a more pronounced jaw and his overall features were now more angular, compared to his previous, rounder face. As if all of that wasn't enough, he now was a bit taller, about 6'1 if he had to guess and seemed to have gained a bit of muscle. Not enough to be bulky, but just what he needed to have that perfect ratio. And his clothes had also changed.

He no longer wore a cargo jogger and a pair of yeezys. Neither was he wearing his usual techwear t-shirt and oversized hoodie. No, his current get-up looked a lot more classic when compared to his usual one. After all, someone wearing greaves that reached his knees would not be easily seen on the current day and age right? And people also didn't wear blue capes. Neither did they have a white and golden bow strapped on their backs. Or a dagger strapped on their waist. The problem was that his appearance seemed very familiar to him.

—Wait! I look like Naoise from Granblue Fantasy!— David exclaimed. And he was spot on. His looks were exactly like those of Naoise on his Wind, SSR form. It was when he began to doubt the reality of the situation that he heard a voice that was, evidently, directed to him. —Oh, so you are finally awake!—

The only way he could describe the voice was similar to the way he described the place he found himself in. Ethereal. And once he saw the source of said voice, he added another adjective to the mix. Beautiful.

A woman no older than himself -or than his current body, at least- stood there, looking like another piece of decoration because of how natural she felt. It wasn't like a person stood in front of him, but a statue of... of a Goddess. The way she carried herself expressed the utmost kindness and care, and her features were as kind as the aura she exuded. The dress she wore, of a white so bright it looked like it was made of light, only added to her holy appearance.

—I know you are confused and want some explanations, but I would like to offer a cup of tea first, if that is alright with you— she said. Her tone was soft and her rhythm was extremelly well paced. She wasn't in a hurry, that she made clear, and that he understood. And for some reason, her calmness seemed to be contagious, sticking to David. After a few short seconds, he finally answered. —I don't see why not. After all, I have all the time in the world, right?—

And that he did. He assumed he was dead and he was probably in heaven or something like that. After all, it was the only "logical" explanation to his current situation. Following her example, he sat down on a white marble garden table, where a tea set magically appeared. Yeah, this was definitely heaven.

—I understand you think this is heaven, David.— he heard her say. If he understood her words correctly, he was wrong and this wasn't heaven... then where was he? Shortly, she continued —This is my realm, or something like that, at least. I brought you here upon your death.—

Now that made no sense. If this wasn't heaven -nor hell, following her words- where could he possibly be? Did she kidnap him from the cycle of life and death? If so, why? David was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. And nothing, as grim as it could seem, would end with negative results if you did things the right way. As such, he waited for her to explain things clearly.

—If I told you that Teyvat is real and that I am an Archon, representing the unwielded element of Light, also known as Lys, would you believe me?— she asked. Her question made things even more blurry. Teyvat was the world where Genshin Impact took place. If he believed her words, then that would mean that she was an Archon, a true Goddess of said world. And not only was she a Goddess, but she also wielded the element of Light, which was unheard of in the game and, apparently, in reality too. It was a hard pill to swallow, but, perhaps because of her bearings and her aura, or perhaps because of the already unbelievable situation, he chose to believe her. —Let's say I believe you, which I am inclined to already, why would you bring me here, to your realm, and change my appearance like this?—

Her answer came only after she smiled. It was the most beautiful smile David had ever seen, something that could be seen in the marvel with which his eyes followed her figure as she stood up.

—Because you are what I need right now, David. I have been waiting for someone who fulfilled all the requirements to become my representative in the world of mortals. And you are the first one to do so. You don't believe you uphold the one true justice, you don't really like meddling, but your moral compass will always make you move when something is wrong. You have the strength of character and the will to intervene. Changing your apperance was only a little bonus, everyone likes being ore handsome, right? Besides, it will help you integrate in the world even better.—

It was a long explanation, but it was what he needed. If he decided to trust her words, then he would probably go on to a new world. A new world, albeit one he knew, was a new world nonetheless. Would he be able to fit in? Would he be able to fulfill his role, whichever it was? Wouldn't it be dangerous? And yet, among all those question, there was one which seemed to weigh heavier. Would it be fun?

For some unexplainable reason, that was David's biggest worry. Would he have fun in this new world? And he didn't need the Goddess to answer him. He knew the answer. With a grin plastered on his face, he answered the Goddess.

—What do I have to do and when do I begin?—