Chapter 0: Why, out of all......
Numerous worlds, hundreds and hundreds of options. Each one has a complex mythology and captivating tale. Just to get Twilight.
The creature before Samuel felt uneasy as he fixed his gaze on the card thrown at him with a lead paint stare. "You ok?" the creature inquired, resonating his voice across the space and appearing to speak with the combined voices of multiple individuals. Samuel's shoulders drooped as he huffed out a sigh.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, but... Why Twilight?" Samuel asked tremblingly, wishing it had been something else entirely—like anime, Transformers, or Resident Evil.
"Look, man, I'm just the dealer," the previous person said, defending himself with a raising of his pitch-black palms. Except for his snow-white eyes, every part of his body was pitch black. His hands went up in defense as he talked, and his eyes flared a little. "I didn't rig the deck; my boss will literally kill me. It's all completely random, man."
Samuel agreed, nodding; his unfortunate luck had brought him thus far. All he could do was hope that on this next draw—The Draw of Power—the misfortune wouldn't find him again. The creature known as "Xolotl" suddenly produced a second deck of cards in his hands as he flipped his hand.
Xolotl shuffled the deck like a dealer, merging and splitting it between his hands. He shuffles the cards one last time before fanning them out and handing them to Samuel, saying, "Pick a card."
Samuel picks a card at random and takes it out of the deck. The others abruptly disappear in a cloud of smoke, just like the previous time he encountered the "Draw of the World." With a hopeful expression, Samuel turns over the card that says "Joker" and features an image of a headless jester juggling skulls. "Joker's good, right?"
Although Samuel didn't play cards much as a child, he was aware enough to know that the Joker was one of the deck's most deadly cards. Xolotl's white eyes changed shape; the left eye became a '!' shape while the right turned into a '?'.
"That card is interesting; I rarely see it. It appears that luck was on your side today, my friend." Xolotl leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "The Joker is a strong one. It stands for chaos, transition, and liberation. A power like this must take risks to develop and flourish; it is embracing the unknown."
As Xolotl spoke, a smile appeared on Samuel's face. "This power isn't as forefront as you may believe; it will be an evolving skill, but there will be a drawback. What is it, though? Even I'm not sure, so I can't say."
"So, a lottery ticket that wins me another lottery ticket?" Samuel asked with a dying smile. He wasn't ungrateful; after all, not everyone gets a second chance at life. It's simply his misfortune. "Better than nothing," he said, sounding slightly uncomfortable but still with a small laugh.
"That's the sprite, just keep swimming." The creature's eyes transformed into little fishes as he talked. They moved throughout Xolotl skin like an ocean, making Samuel uneasy.
'The apostles of the gods are strange people.' It was cool but also bizarre, and he didn't bother to say it out. Xolotl's voice cut off his thoughts, saying, "Now, onto the background;"
"You're going to be the twin of that emo Bella. Don't worry, you're still male," Eliminating Samuel's concern about a shift in gender. "Other than that, there are no more important details, I don't think?" Samuel deadpanned as Xolotl's eyes turned into question marks. "You think?"
Xolotl's shrugged his shoulders; "They move in mysterious ways." His eyes changed to upward-pointing arrows. "I don't get told everything, man."
"Anyway," Xolotl's shifted the conversation back to base. "This is your contract; please sign it here." He gestured to the section of the paper that said "Divine Realm Entertainment" toward the bottom:
TERMS AND CONDITIONS AGREEMENT This Terms and Conditions Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into between Divine Realm Entertainment ("The Company") and the undersigned individual ("Blank"), starting now collectively referred to as "Parties," to govern the participation of Blank in the Reincarnation Show ("The Show"). By signing this agreement, Blank acknowledges and agrees to the following terms and conditions:
1. The Company will cast Blank into a fictional world, chosen at random. The specifics of the fictional world, including its rules, inhabitants, and challenges, will be determined solely by The Company.
2. Upon entering the fictional world, Blank will receive a random boon that grants them an advantage or a unique ability to aid them on their journey. The nature and extent of this boon will be determined at the discretion of The Company.
3. Entertainment Purposes: Blank acknowledges that their participation in The Show is only for entertainment. Blank acknowledges that they participate in The Show solely for entertainment.
4. Lack of Moral Standards: Blank acknowledges and accepts that they will not be bound by any moral standard within the fictional world. Blank is free to act according to their desires and inclinations without restrictions imposed by societal norms or ethical considerations.
5. Viewer Engagement: Blank acknowledges that their success within The Show is contingent upon generating sufficient viewer engagement. If Blank fails to garner enough viewership, The Company reserves the right to terminate The Show and cease any further gifts or benefits to Blank.
6. Limited Repercussions: Blank understands that the fictional world and Blank themselves will face no real-world consequences or repercussions because of their actions within The Show. However, Blank acknowledges that premature termination of The Show may result in the fictional world being left in its current state.
7. Non-Compliance Consequences: If Blank chooses to rebel against the terms of this Agreement after signing, including attempting to breach or terminate the contract prematurely, Blank will cease to exist in all forms, effectively ending their participation in The Show.
8. Indemnification: Blank agrees to indemnify and hold The Company harmless from any claims, damages, or liabilities arising from or related to Blank's participation in The Show, including any actions or consequences within the fictional world.
9. Mental Protection: Blank cannot notify any participants of the fictional world of their reason for being. Blank will not reveal the existence of these beings in fictional form, nor will any type of mental effect on Blank reveal any information about The Company, future knowledge of the fictional world, the existence of a fictional version, or anything that may give wind of Blank being reincarnated and their world being fictional in nature.
10. The laws of the realm in which The Company operates shall govern and construe this agreement.
By signing below, Blank acknowledges that they have read and understood the terms and conditions of this agreement and voluntarily agree to be bound by them.
________________________
Signature of Blank
________________________
Printed Name of Blank
________________________
Date
(Author: That sounds pretty tightly sealed and fair for the reincarnater, right?)
Giving the contract a once over, Samuel signed it, dated it, and put his name on it. "Now what?"
"Now? Enjoy yourselves!" With '!' points acting as eyes, Xolotl raised his black fist, creating the phrase 'Bye Bye' with formed brass knuckles. Samuel's only reaction was an expression of astonishment. Samuel's face took a heavy blow, causing his body to collide with the ground, exerting such a powerful force that he plummeted through the floor and into a void below. "Good luck!"
Those words were the last he heard before fading out of consciousness
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Ok, so I went on an unplanned hiatus for like a while. I'm trying to get back into writing, I recently watched Twilight for some reason and thought it was a good starting point, plus,
Alice and Victoria (Bryce Howard)
Need I really say more?
