[Chapter 2 - Carpe Vinum : Seize the Wine]

The boy stared back with a dumbfounded expression. Nevertheless his tears had ceased for the time being

"Warn me..of my new life?" He spoke with a quiver in his voice

"Yes" Freyja spoke softly. "You are being reincarnated into a new world very different from your own where magic runs free and the supernatural is mundane." her demeanor shifted into a more serious and professional appearance as she drew back her hand "and this world will soon face a fate of unrivaled destruction. I have come to ask for your favor, and in return I will offer mine."

The boy stared at her blankly for a second before wiping his tears away with a frail hand.

"Why me?" he spoke somewhat plainly. "In the hospital I was bed bound most of the time, unable to walk, I mean I only went outside a handful of times" his expression saddened once more.

Freyja looked at his retreating attention and spoke firmly "Because despite living a life of emptiness and pain you still saved the lives of three different children like yourself."

"Saved?" the boy said confused as he refocused his attention.

Freyja subtly lifted one of her fingers as a paper fell before landing facing the boy. As he looked down he recognized the watermark on the top of the sheet, it was a hospital form. He slowly reached forward, picking up the paper and began to read it.

'FORM 31-C : OPTIONAL ELECTMENT FOR ORGAN DONATION'

The boy immediately recognized it. It was the form that stated the hospital could harvest your organs when you died. He had filled it out earlier that morning since the legal age requirement to sign was 16. However, at the bottom where his signature would be was a blackness that seemed to mimic space.

"My organ donation form?"

"Yes. Though I'm sure you did not expect it would come into play soon. While your heart was frail and too weak to support you, your other organs were not. Despite this the machines attached to you did all the functions of your body for you, essentially, they were perfectly preserved and were used to change the fates of the three previously terminal children you saved."

"I see" a small smile briefly appeared on his face before turning to a puzzled and distressed expression. "Why is my name missing on the form.. and why can I not remember it." he spoke in a newly serious manner

Freya's expression became more blank. "Names are a powerful thing. They are the truest representations of who we are. In order for you to be reborn your soul is stripped of its name. Thus the reason you cannot remember your name is because you do not have one"

The boy looked back at the form as his focus seemed to fade into the void where his name would be. Though he was quickly snapped back as a serious and firm voice began to fill his ears

"For my favor, I will bestow you a blessing for each child you saved. I will be your patron god."

Freyja's voice held power and authority that seemed to echo as she spoke. The boy slowly looked down at the form and back up to the goddess

"And for my favor?"

A proud smile formed on Freyja's face "You will live. Grow strong and grow endless. Many hardships will come before you in this life but you must overcome them and move forward. Make allies and act as you best see fit. Others who have become patrons like yourself may come to you, when they do you must ensure you act in the best interest of all. That will be your favor to me."

As he slowly began to raise himself back to his feet he wiped his tears once more.

"What hardships?"

Freyja's smile vanished into a stern and troubled frown

"I am not sure" she sighed softly

"I have tried many ways to discover just what the coming calamities of this world are yet there seems to be an unyielding haze that blocks my foresight." She then focused an intense stare on the boy "For some unknown reason you seem to have an unexplainable connection to their pinnacle. As such your hardships will be related to these various calamities. That is why I have caught you in the middle of your rebirth."

"To warn and help me?" the boy spoke softly in a defeated tone

"Yes dear child" Freyja's gaze became fixed once more and her voice regained its firmness "Now comes your choice, will you accept my patronage?"

The boy clenched the paper in his hand before looking up with a somewhat serious demeanor. "Yes, I accept your patronage"

Freyja smiled brightly "Excellent!" her voice seemed to echo with a boom

As she gripped the thrones armrests she slowly began to stand. As she walked towards the boy her size became increasingly smaller until she was no more than 2 feet in front of him now sharing a similar stature. Her skin was covered in beads of gold light and it was as flawless as porcelain. The loose white dress she wore seemed flowing despite the absence of wind. She reached her arm forward as a silver chalice embedded with many precious jewels appeared gently resting in her hand. Inside was a deep liquid that seemed to constantly shift and twist. It was black with various blues and purples mixed in making it perfectly resemble a beautiful night sky.

The boy slowly and reluctantly reached his hand up and took the chalice. It was unexpectedly light as if it was hardly there at all.

As he peered into the cup the he hesitantly asked "What is it"

"It is ambrosia, the wine of the gods. Drink it and you shall receive my blessings"

As the boy lifted the chalice to his lips Freyja began to speak firmly

"The first blessing is to give you what you never had. You will be born with a strong heart. This will greatly increase both your physical and magical prowess. But as a warning to what I say next, remember nothing in this world is absolute and you must not overwork your heart. Potential is not always a guarantee of power." she smiled as the boy lowered the empty chalice before the liquid began to pool around the bottom, eventually refilling it completely. The boy stared at the chalice and then Freyja gave a light nod.

As he lifted the chalice she began to speak once more "My second blessing is endless growth. In your life you were limited only to what was in that small room, now there will be nothing you cannot learn in time. Just ensure you heed my previous warning and remember that nothing in life is instant." He lowered the chalice again before the process was repeated "My third and final blessing to you is time. A long life to ensure you experience all you can with what I have given you."

The boy lowered the chalice for the final time. Instead of refilling this time it burst into particles of light that soon vanished. Freyja began to step closer before placing her hand on his chest as a soft light began to glow under her palm. When she pulled away a palm sized mark in the shape of a great tree appeared on his chest. It matched the liquid in the chalice he drank from.

"Now go my child, go and overcome the obstacles that await you"

As her words finished the boy was quickly blasted away at an unimaginable speed. In his vision was a rapidly fleeting image of a floating marble floor surrounded by blackness with nothing more than a throne and the goddess he just met. Within seconds he could no longer see, speak or hear anything. He had returned to the infinite darkness only to quickly have his vision flooded with a blinding light and the wails of a baby.

He had been reborn.