1 An End of Misfortune
It was just a normal Tuesday, or so I thought. I knew this day would come sooner or later but it still didn't prepare me for what happened next. Though I suppose I should explain first, seeing as you probably haven't a clue as to what's going on.
My full name is Michael Lin, currently nineteen, single, unemployed, and am currently first in the world when it comes to bad luck.
It all started the day I was born. My mother was doing well, until five days before birth she began feeling sick and her physical health began plummeting quickly. It was estimated that after my birth she would need to stay in intensive care, but since the doctors couldn't find any diagnosable irregularity in her they concluded it had to do with her pregnancy. I was born five days later and my mother was moved to a different unit, to help in her recovery, but she started falling faster. It was about two days after that, we heard news of her death. My mother was a healthy and outgoing person with a wonderful heart and a caring soul, whose death devastated many, especially so for my father and other immediate family.
Looking for someone to blame for the tragic event, I was neglected and hated from a distance, barely able to live and develop as a child should, until I was four, when my father began to beat me, to vent his frustration. Even after four years he hadn't gotten over her death. The only one who ever stood up for me was my older sister. She was a cute, sweet, innocent little girl, who was frequently told to have taken after her mother. She loved me with all her heart, and I unconditionally loved her back. She helped me get through each day and regardless of the bruises both physical and emotional. No matter what, I held strong for her sake. She was there for the home abuse, bullying at school, and was my everything.
When I was nine My life derailed a second time. While my sister and her friend were walking to her friends house from their school. A mysterious van, kidnapped them both. It was caught on camera and the police took immediate action but we're always one step behind, and It took two weeks to eventually corner the perpetrators. My sister's friend was found in a near death state, needing counseling for years after, and couldn't talk for months, while my sister's body was found mutilated in a river nearby. I still remember the look of my sister's body when it was brought back home. She was almost unrecognizable but you could still see the pain and agony she went through in her decaying lifeless form. I still have nightmares thinking about her, but will never forget what she did for me.
After that my life fell to pieces, the abuse from my father and classmates lead to two failed suicide attempts and my father getting arrested for child abuse. I was sent into foster care and a nice loving family took me in after my other relatives refused to watch over the 'Cursed Child'. I lived with them for about a year before I started opening up to them. I was around thirteen at the time I met them and was terrified that they might hurt me. I was reluctant to get too close because all 'family' had ever done for me is be a constant reminder of my shortcomings or a painful realization that good things never last long. They were a nice couple and were patient with my trust issues, always respecting my reservations but encouraging me to open up and it was nice I had finally refound the happiness I thought had died with my sister.
Unfortunately around the beginning of the second year they fell on hard times as the husband developed lung cancer and had a stroke. It was sudden and the time he was in the hospital caused him to lose his job so the two couldn't keep me. I was ok though, as they made me have hope and respark life in my eyes, if only I opened up sooner I would have had more time. If there's one thing I have learned though it is you cannot dwell on the past as all it will bring is pity and sorrow, so I must keep my head high for my foster family and my sister. I had to make them proud. In theory that's great but, in practice it becomes immensely more difficult.
Forwarding to when I was now fifteen almost sixteen, I was on my own and staying in one place was hard, every few weeks to a month or so I would switch homes. My quiet, antisocial, and distrusting personality lost me a job or two in the beginning as the owners were weirded out by me or had others they thought were better for the job. That and I naturally began creating a lot of distance between me and others as it had been a safety net for me as a child when I was on my own. Jobs weren't the easiest things to keep when you talk to no one and are silent most of the time in addition to having a bad history of being fired.
Finally when I turned seventeen I had amassed enough money and kept a stable job for a decent amount of time, I was ready to live on my own and I had high hopes, finally I had fate in my own hands but nothing ever goes how you envision. I was shortly fired due to a conspiracy by my coworkers who hated me, because I wouldn't skip out on work with them and would frequently inform the manager of such things like a responsible worker. However, he didn't believe me so there was no real point in me opening my mouth. My record made finding another job difficult, but I persisted. I was evicted and lived on the street for a month before I got a job at the most shifty looking convenient store and rented a new house in a cheap apartment that had all but fallen into disrepair. Unsurprisingly my bad luck flared up once again.
This morning I was walking to work and got pickpocketed by a little kid who was surprisingly fast for his size. I had to get to work so I left him. He really needed it, or, well, at least that's what I would like to think, not that he'd find anything worthwhile. The store I worked for had begun to expand and the new workers they were hiring had a pay even higher than mine. My optimistic side thought I might get a raise so I could move out of the dump I called a home but I had this nagging feeling it was going to be an awful day. I was tasked with finishing the rookies training when the boss wanted to have a talk with me. I was excited as I fooled myself that my luck had changed but to my dismay the owner wanted to erase all reminders of the previous store so I was laid off.
I had expected this but it stung no less. Just thinking about the hassle I'd have to go through to find another place to work killed whatever hopeful motivation I had for the day. I needed a pick-me-up or something to be happy about.
I remembered it was going to be a bright day so I would go to the park, maybe spend some time with the kittens outside. There is a litter of baby kittens that was recently born outside my apartment and I see myself in them as they too have no parents and no one to lean on, so I now take care of them. They are three black cats and I have yet to name them but I have decided that today I would, to lift our spirits.
As I leave to go to the park I hear the stark roar of thunder and in a flash terrifying dark clouds roll overhead. So much for the stroll through the park, though you'd think I'd have seen this coming. I immediately booked it home and as I get about half way a massive rainstorm hits, so bad that if I were to fully extend my hand out in front of my face it would be hard to see.
I reach the complex and immediately go to check up on the kittens. They still live outside in a large cardboard box I customized just for them. It had a cheap blanket in it to keep the kittens warm and had a large blue tarp I found near the back of the complex in a pile of trash I 'borrowed' covering it. The tarp made their home look a little suspicious but it kept the kittens safe and warm.
I arrive at the makeshift cat home to find it destroyed with faint streaks of blood on the ground slowly being washed away. In a panic I followed it. That's when I hit the lowest part of the day. I saw two kids probably about 8-9 kicking a dead black kitten. I recognized it as one of the kittens I've been looking after and in an act of rage attacked them. They managed to escape under the cloak of the rain and quite possibly my own tears, I couldn't tell. Emotion masked by the harsh rain, that beat against my surroundings in a deafening drone, I wrapped the kitten in the blanket and went to bring it inside.
As I'm on the sidewalk returning to the front of the building I hear a soft meow over the off beat drumming of the rain, I can barely see the faint outline of a kitten in the road. I recognize it as one of the newborns and I prepare to run to grab it. The road is busy at all times and I refused to take the chance of letting another of the kittens die. Setting the blanket with the other kitten down I check for cars and I notice a truck speeding down the road with no intentions of stopping. Reason and thought immediately scraped, I bolt into the road to protect the kitten. I knew my end was near but the only thing on my mind was the kitten. I reached the kitten and did everything I could to keep it safe. All I can hope now is this kitten makes it out Alive.
~Thud~
And with that I feel inexplicable feeling, almost reminiscent of pain, for a time till my vision faded to black. I always feared death but I also longed for it. I always hoped it would be an end to my misfortune. Thus bringing me back to the present.
It is said your life flashes before your eyes when you die and they would be almost right instead of a flash. I feel as if my whole life has been laid out in front of me making me feel all the grief, sorrow, happiness, and love. It was a bittersweet moment, more bitter than sweet in my case, but in the end I am glad it is all over now. As I have prepared to be leased into nothingness I hear a voice.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Michael"
'Who is that?' I thought to myself as I heard an almost childish voice that seemed to come everywhere and nowhere at the same time, it was slightly uncomfortable to be honest.
"There's no need to be so cautious." said the voice
"who are you?", I ask
"Easy ... I am a God ..."
'???'
"... but you may refer to me as Clover. I am The Cat God of Luck and Misfortune and I have come to reincarnate you as my champion."
"..."
"I'm sure you have many questions and I will answer all those that I can, to the best of my ability."
Taking a deep breath I sigh
"Did the kitten make it?" was the first thing to escape my lips
Giggling softly Clover responds, "Yes your body took the brunt of the hit and it managed to escape with minimal injury"
"That's good." I smile or rather think I do. I don't know how being dead quite works." Sooo, what now?"
" I am going to reincarnate you of course, you know, mythical beasts, mystical places, magical powers, explosions, fire, swords, excitement, loss, wars, dramatics! I'm giving you a second chance at life!"
"Now, what do you mean reincarnation exactly?" I asked slightly confused
"Simple, I will give you a new body in a new world, a blessing, as well as a system. Typically people are reincarnated naturally into a world similar to the one they came as they are unable to take the strain of entering a higher realm that if forced results in the destruction of the soul, but some have gained enough power to ascend. Rarely would a God take a liking to certain individuals, but when they do they will bring them up to a higher realm where they make them become their champion. They are given a new body and soul to survive and represent that God, and I have decided to make you mine."
'Oh ... like those books kids in my classes used to talk about? Dunno seems sketchy. ' I thought to myself
"So, what do gods do exactly, like, how many are there?"
"There is an innumerable amount of gods that all have a responsibility, in keeping order in the worlds or should but in this day and age it is mostly automated, it used to be the God best at fixing irregularities in their field was the strongest, but that's changed recently. Now Champions are used to raise religious following and the direct strength of the God. Typically a god's goal is to become the strongest and control others of similar divinity. Their are still Factions, rivalries, drama, etc. but this is just the basis for all gods. "
"..Um... are you allowed to be telling me this?"
"Well I don't see why I shouldn't cure your curiosity, in case you were wondering it hasn't killed anyone yet, Also think of it as a thank you for saving the kitten."
"Your welcome. Hmm, since I can ask What do champions do?"
"The champions sole job is it to gather a reputation in the god's name be it Glory for light gods and infamy for the dark ones, this widespread acknowledgement helps them grow in strength."
"How common are champions?"
"Champions are neither extremely common nor rare I would say each higher world has around ten of these champions, it takes more power to get a soul from the lower world's to higher, the higher world's are more dangerous, and in turn give gods more power, but champions can only be made from eligible souls in the time between natural reincarnation or soul recycling"
"How many world's exist" I ask my curiosity peaked
"As for world's, they're thousands of lower world's and middle world's in which no, to small traces of mana exist. In lower worlds you refer to these fragments as miracles or curses, the mid world's contain enough magic to alter life giving access to few unique qualities to their inhabitants. These worlds are too fragile to hold god's power so we are unable to affect much in these worlds unless we want to destroy them which is a violation of the restrictions. There are 316 Higher worlds and are ranked according to their danger. All are capable of harboring gods but due to restrictions set by the supreme one we are unable to walk among any mortal plains."
"Any more questions?"
"Mana? What is it? Where does it come from? you mentioned curses, is that why my life was so miserable?"
" You answer your last question, yes. It seems a curse was placed on your soul destining you to a horrific fate. As for what Mana is, it is the building blocks of the supernatural, the force that balances the order of the natural laws that govern worlds. And finally, as for where it comes from, ... In the god realm at its center lies a core said to be the source of all mana and the birthplace of the supreme one. There are many rifts outside the border of the god realm that correspond with separate world's like a gateway of sorts this rift carries the Mana to fuel the world and reinforce it allowing the occurrence of inexplicable phenomenon referred to as magic"
I could feel my head start to hurt trying to wrap my head around all the information, so I decided to change subjects. " Do all people get reincarnated?"
"Not exactly. Typical reincarnation is dealt with by the Seraph, a creation of the supreme one to prevent the destruction of lesser worlds, incapable of being influenced by gods, from corrupted souls. It's job is to sort souls of the dead into new worlds that meet the requirements for, as well as destroy and recreate souls of those who could cause harm to the low and mid worlds and its inhabitants naturally. So in case you were wondering your sister is still alive but has no memories of you ... probably."
Hearing this an unconscious sigh of relief came out as I know she is not completely gone. I was also slightly unnerved at the fact he guessed the point of the question.
"Well then, how will my reincarnation work?" I relented, I was simply going to accept fate, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited at the idea of a new world, with magic and hero's, and beautiful princesses, not that the odds were high I'd encounter any of those things.
"Simple. I will create you a body off of your preferences in your mind and some tweaks from me to make things more fun and the process of moving worlds easier, while your soul undergoes a rebirth to help survive the strain of High World Mana contents. When both finish, you will be reborn into the world."
"Oh, before I forget, The Higher world's all have basic systems used to record the skills of the one it's bound too, and helps with the manipulation of Mana. You are a champion which has some slight differences. You have a system like others but your system has more features, I'll let you figure out the rest. You don't have to worry about people finding out you have one, just the type. One thing you need to look out for is people with [STATUS APPRAISAL] they are rare but if people find out you're a champion they or their nation might try to use you as a tool as champions are naturally stronger than other mortals and have unique blessings from their gods, enhancing that innate strength."
"Understood, Now before we start is there anything you want me to do in this new world?" I asked
"Not specifically, Unlike normal gods which can be classified as light or dark in nature I am a God of fate which cannot really be influenced by our champion as we get stronger by changing people's fate in accordance to our diviny so it is rare to see a champion of such gods as it can be difficult creating a champion, and it is a far less effective way of working things. However, I'm bored and you seem like you could use some help removing that blight. Don't worry as long as you don't enter a high ranked world or world at war you should be fine. luckily most are in a state of peace at the moment but I have no clue which world you're going to. Don't worry even if you get the rank 1 World: Niflheim then you have an edge over most, and probably won't die immediately."
"Now, let's get started."
"Wai-"
I suddenly feel Clover's presence disappear and as I am sifting through the information I have received, I feel a Sharp pain in my heart.
Soon it spreads to the rest of my nonexistent body. As a soul time seems to move differently, or at least I couldn't tell how time passed, but it felt like an eternity. It was unbearable, and I thought I would faint multiple times, but something kept me awake. Finally I feel the pain release and I enter another dark void, that is ever so slightly different. Now I must only wait until I can be introduced into the new world.
...
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(POV: Clover)
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...
"Excuse me" a young voice echoed
I jump a little, not expecting a visitor. I see a small young soul that seems to have belonged to a young child.
"Can you help me? I'm looking for someone important"
Since it's impressive that anyone can find their way into a god's personal realm I decided to humor the soul " Who are you searching for and for what reason may I ask?"
"A boy named Michael, I think, he saved my brother, one I failed to protect, as the oldest I want to thank him in any way I can"
'Interesting' I thought
"I know a way for you to meet him again."
...
...
...
' With that done let's get ready to finish this little side project of mine. Which world do we get.'
...
..... World selected .... World rank: 3 Pandora
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...
...
'Good luck in you next life, Michael.'
