The New World

After Levin died, he didn't wake up in heaven like he expected. Instead of angels and blessings, he found himself surrounded by nothing but everlasting darkness.

"Where am I?"

His voice echoed through the dark chamber. He didn't have a body or a voice anymore. He was just a mind in an empty void.

There was no sign of other beings, no other voices, and most importantly, no lights. Even if there were some things surrounding him, it would be impossible for him to see them.

"Is this...the afterlife?" he spoke quietly.

Levin couldn't wrap his head around...well...everything. He didn't remember how he died, he didn't remember his family or his friends.

The more he tried to think about why he ended up here, the more his head started to hurt, like a hammer slamming against it.

Weird, since he didn't even have a body right now. He just floated in this everlasting darkness that surrounded him like a blanket.

Suddenly, he heard steps. A white light in the shape of a door opened up and a silhouette walked through it. Long hair, tall legs, and a dress revealed a celestial-looking being entering the shapeless room.

"Oh!" the woman said as she stared in his direction.

"I didn't know there was a soul left in here. My bad. Sometimes my schedule gets a little too full." She laughed dismissively.

Levin tried to form words, but they ended up echoing in his head instead of reaching the woman in front of him.

"Ah, give me a second. I'll give you some...temporary abilities so we can both have a chat about what we should do with your soul." The woman sighed and cast a silent spell with her hand.

"Wa-"

...

"I can talk again!"

Levin would have jumped out of sheer happiness if he could. The woman clapped her hands and smiled.

With a snap of her fingers, she summoned a throne and sat down on it. Now that he got a closer look at her, his heart started to beat faster.

Long blonde hair framed a perfect face with cold blue eyes. She wore a white dress and had a remarkable figure with a really...impressive bust.

She cleared her throat and summoned a sheet of paper in her hands.

"So...your name...Levin, right? I see. You are quite the extraordinary case, you know?"

She looked at him, then turned her eyes back to the sheet.

"This will be tough..." the woman sighed.

Levin took a deep breath.

"May I ask who you are?" he mumbled in an insecure voice. If he could, he would have fumbled with his fingers due to nervousness.

"Ah! I am the Goddess of Reincarnation. I handle the souls that the other gods abandon."

"Abandoned?"

This word felt like a punch to his guts. He died and wasn't interesting enough for other gods? If the goddess had ignored him too, he would be all alone in this room forever.

"So, you died at the age of 24 due to...oh my! Haha!" The goddess burst out in laughter.

"Wha-What is so funny?" Levin asked, shocked.

"Nothing. It's better for your ego if I don't tell you how you died." She said while wiping a tear from her eye.

"Anyways."

The sheet of paper in her hand disappeared. She crossed her thick thighs and looked at Levin while resting her head on her hand.

"Since you are not an ordinary case...I will grant you the fate of being reincarnated."

"Reincarnated? As a different being?" Levin asked with a puzzled expression on his nonexistent face.

"Not really. You will still be a human...but in a different world. A world with magic and great adventures."

"Oh! I've read a lot of stories about that! I get to be super strong then, right?" Levin asked with an excited voice.

The goddess sighed and looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"Stop reading those stories then. You will live a normal life. If you really want to be strong in that different world, you have to work for it like everybody else. Understood?" she said in a sharp tone.

Levin nodded – or at least he thought he did – and gulped.

"Great! Now that it's settled, I'll start the reincarnation process. Since you have amnesia, I won't bother erasing your memories. It's not like they help you anyway." The goddess giggled and whispered a strange prayer.

The whole room started to light up and Levin fell right through some kind of portal.

"What the fu-!"

...

His vision was blurry. His eyes had to adapt to the sunlight that shone into the room. Wind blew gently against his face as birds sang their songs outside.

Where am I?

He thought to himself. His body was extremely small and his muscles felt so stiff and underdeveloped. As he tried to raise his hand, his heart suddenly plummeted.

Is that my hand?!

The small hand in front of his eyes did exactly what Levin wanted it to do. He could make a fist, slightly stretch it, and wave it around.

Footsteps rumbled on the ground. He could feel the vibrations getting closer to the small bed he lay in.

Shit!

A beautiful woman looked down at him and smiled warmly. She had long black hair and blue eyes.

Woah!

Levin's heart bumped a bit faster as he managed to get a good look at the woman in front of him.

Maybe she could provide him with some context about what was happening to him. He cleared his throat and used all his courage to speak with the unknown woman.

"Gaga...."

What?!

"Gugu..."

The harder he tried to form a sentence, the more gibberish came out of his mouth. It was almost like his body didn't know what to do.

The woman, however, didn't leave and still smiled at him. Her smile grew even happier as he bombarded her with more gibberish.

"Oh honey, look! Our small boy is already talking!" the woman chanted happily.

A tall and strong man stood next to her and nodded.

"I told ya! My boy will be a great warrior in no time!" he laughed proudly.

The soft hands of the black-haired woman scooped his tiny body and lifted him up. He was clinging onto her chest.

I can get used to that...

He thought. But his whole perception of himself changed instantly the moment he saw himself in the mirror.

The beautiful lady held him proudly in her hands as his tiny blue eyes stared at the reflection.

Oh fuck no...

There was no denying it. No matter how many times he tried to blink, the circumstances didn't change for him.

I am a baby!

...

"Oh honey, he is crying!"