1 The Void

Adrian didn't know how he died. He was walking back home, waiting for the signal to go red so he could pass when he felt something collide with him then everything went dark. Adrian was sure that he died, call it a feeling, but he instinctively knew that his body was already decaying. Which meant that whatever he was now was the afterlife. Adrian looked at his surroundings and saw nothing except a pitch-black void.

Was this humanity's afterlife? Adrian was not a religious person in his life, but he at least wanted to be an afterlife for humanity whether that be hell, heaven, or purgatory, or even the various versions of those concepts, but it seemed that those who died would only meet a void and nothing more.

It wasn't fair and he knew that, but he couldn't do anything about it. Even if he only wanted to change his situation, after all, he wasn't a particularly virtuous person in his life. And so the only thing he could do was wait and hope that something happened.

He waited, waited, waited, waited, and waited, but nothing happened, he didn't even know how much time had passed, but he could feel his memories slipping away. And again that he could do nothing to prevent. Was this to his fate? To stay here and eventually lose all manner of individually until only a husk of his past self remained...

It wasn't fair

Then Adrian felt/saw/heard the empty void turn into light, he was momentarily blinded by the golden light before it receded, it still gave an enormous pressure but it didn't felt like he was boiling under the heat of a star.

{Hello Adrian} He heard a voice call out from the burning light {I have been watching you for a very long time} Adrian felt like it was for his survival that he didn't shout at the being in front of him {Not many of your race can last this long in the void between creations, their souls usually dissipate in the first few hours, but you, my little mortal friend, has lasted decades in here and your soul has only recently started to dissipate, a rare find for sure}

"What do you want with me?"

{I want to give you a second chance, a new life where you are something beyond the mortal scope} The being explained to him, causing him to think about the prospect, 'something beyond the mortal scope' is a very vague concept, after all, a mountain could be considered something grand beyond the mortal scope who will be there long after they are gone from the world. "Do I get to do something? Like wishes?" He asked the being hoping it would say yes, after all, he had a few ideas on how to quickly power up if it was the answer he wanted.

{No} To say that its answer disappointed him would be an understatement {But I am removing all limiters from your new body, this means that you can potentially learn and achieve everything} Adrian did like the sound of that, if he was reborn in a magical world, then he could learn all types of magic with enough effort on his part.

{Now prepare yourself for your next life} Adrian felt himself being lifted and then launched his destiny unknown to him. Through his journey the impossible becomes the possible, creations burning and freezing, shining civilizations being destroyed by their very own hubris or something far worse, he saw all and nothing at the same time.

Then the world went dark and his mind went to a deep, deep, sleep.