the three gifts

"Huh, what's happening? Where am I? Who are you?" The man in his thirties began firing questions, his face clearly expressing confusion.

"Are you Leon, the hacker from Earth?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm Leon, and I'm from Earth. But who is—"

The white-haired man interrupted after receiving confirmation. "Good. I'll need you to stay calm for a few seconds so I can do my thing."

After stating this, he didn't wait for a response, raising his hands and initiating a series of precise movements.

His palms left behind red-glowing lines wherever they traversed.

As he persisted in his movements, intricate runes materialized, hovering in the air.

In a mere thirty seconds, the man completed an entire circle of runes around them.

He then forcefully brought his palms together, causing the red runes to adhere to the ground and illuminate brightly.

As the radiance reached its peak, a luminous dome materialized around them.

Following that, the brightness gradually diminished until it settled at a normal lighting level.

He wiped his sweaty forehead, saying, "Phew, that was a tiring job, but at least it will secure us for a few minutes, hopefully."

As he concluded his words, golden chains of lightning shot out from the spatial crack, hurtling toward their location.

Upon colliding with the dome, a substantial explosion occurred, causing the earth to tremble, yet the protective barrier remained intact.

The chains persisted in their assault on the dome, but their efforts proved futile, merely causing the earth to shake without breaching the barrier.

As the man ensured the strength of the dome, he turned to the other man, only to be met with a barrage of shouted questions.

" Who the hell are you ? What am I doing here? and most importantly what the fuck is happening ? "

"There is no need to shout. I will answer all questions one by one.

Our first interaction was a bit rough because I needed to ensure the chains of order wouldn't disrupt our conversation.

So let me introduce myself properly:

My name is Varian. I came across your farewell message, and after reading it, I became interested in making you an offer.

So, I traversed some timelines and pulled your soul immediately after your death.

What I did , let's say, may have broken some cosmic laws and that's why the chains of order are here—to fix the anomaly.

So, what do you think? Are you interested in hearing my offer?"

Leon stood there dumbfounded, grappling with the overwhelming influx of information.

Before his brain could fully process the details, Varian urged him as cracks began to appear on the dome.

"I'm not trying to put pressure on you but I hope you can make your choice quickly, as this dome won't hold up for long."

Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, Leon looked at Varian and inquired, "What's your offer?"

After hearing Leon's positive response, Varian's face lit up as he began to explain.

"My offer is quite simple. I'll give you what you call in your world a 'golden finger.'

The quantity and strength depend on your luck. After that, I'll send you back to your world, well kinda your world."

Leon wore a confused expression and asked, "Why did you stop? Didn't you say we don't have much time?"

"What do you mean stopped? That's it, that's my offer," replied Varian, also confused.

"But you didn't mention what you want in return. Do you expect me to believe that you're doing all this out of the generosity of your heart?"

"Oh, I think you got me wrong. I don't need anything from you in return. The only motive for giving you this offerI is creating a good story to watch.

As what I love the most is creating stories and watching them.

and I believe, for some reasons I can't tell you about, you can make an interesting story."

Leon wore a doubtful look as he sensed something fishy, but the offer was too tempting, and time was running out.

After a few seconds of contemplation, he nodded and said, "I accept your offer."

"Good, you won't regret this. Now, for the cheats, I have three for you, ranked in ascending order of strength.

We'll play rock, paper, scissors to decide if you'll have them or not. Quickly, let's start."

Varian raised his hands, prepared to play, but when he looked at Leon, he found him staring with a weird expression.

Initially thinking it was a joke, Leon, seeing the seriousness, remarked, "Are you serious right neow, bro?"

He reluctantly raised his hands, muttering, "What kind of situation did I get myself into?"

Their hands facing each other, with exchanged glances, they both started.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors, Go."

"Rock, Paper, Scissors, Go."

"Rock, Paper, Scissors, Go."

"Yesss, three times combo baby! I guess your powers are just for show, huh?" shouted Leon in victory as he won all three rounds.

This time, it was Varian's turn to stand dumbfounded, just standing there, unsure how to react after his miserable loss.

"So, what are my prizes? What did I win ?" asked Leon, giving Varian no time to cope with the shock.

Varian quickly regained his composure, snapping his fingers to summon three glowing orbs floating in front of him.

The first was golden, the second red, and the third violet. Varian held the first orb, and as the light gradually dissipated, it revealed a bottle containing red liquid.

"The gifts are divided into three levels and with each level the gift becomes better and better. For the first gift, I won't be able to explain much. You'll find it in your bag when you go back to your world, and you should drink it as fast as possible," Varian explained as he released the bottle, which promptly merged with Leon's body and disappeared.

Just as Leon raised his head to inquire for more details, he found Varian holding the remaining two orbs, which transformed into crystals of the same color. Varian continued his explanation.

"The second gift is called 'Worlds Traveler,' It is an ability that allows you to reincarnate in another world after your death, but you can't choose what you are reborn as as you might be the prince of the strongest kingdom in that world or a mere worm. And if you ever want to end it, you can halt the effects by your thoughts."

Varian moved on to the third gift, " Here the role of the third level gift called "the simulator" comes into play as it gives you the ability to determine the circumstances of your new birth, including talents, species, background, etc, based on your actions, strength, influence you achieved in your previous life." He explained

"What do you think?" Varian asked as he sent the two crystals to merge with Leon's body.

The shock of the incredibly powerful abilities left Leon momentarily speechless.

After a few seconds, he managed to express his amazement, "Are you kidding me? These abilities are sick! I don't even need the first one; the other two are just broken."

Varian responded with a faint smile on his face,

" I'm happy that you like them, but I need a final confirmation from you.

Before you agree, think about it carefully because I can see a bit of your future, and it's very dark.

I can see that you will struggle a lot, so think wisely, Leon, and decide."

Varian's words snapped Leon out of the trance, his mind becoming much clearer.

He pondered Varian's words and the offer carefully, and after a few seconds, a look of determination appeared on his face as he said,

"I accept your offer."

Seeing the determination in Leon's eyes, Varian nodded slightly. He began chanting a spell, and with each word, his body started glowing, becoming as bright as the sun.

Simultaneously, cracks covered the dome, and it was on the verge of breaking.

As it reached the moment of collapse, Varian clapped his hands, opening a crack in space.

"This portal will send you to a world similar to yours. But let me give you a little spoiler before you go: it has a different future from your original world."

Varian continued shouting this time as his body started to even turn brighter,

"NOW ENTER, LEON, AND EMBRACE YOUR DESTINY. HOPEFULLY, WE WILL MEET AGAIN IN THE FUTURE."

Following Varian's instructions, Leon quickly entered the portal, leaving only a nod in acknowledgment. As he disappeared, the portal swiftly closed.

Simultaneously, the chains broke through the dome and headed directly to where Leon had been standing, but they found nothing.

After a few seconds of standing there, the chains turned towards Varian and attacked him.

Varian thought, "It seems that we will have a long night," as he ran from the pursuing chains.