1 Almost to Greatness

I was just a traveling merchant trying to make enough money to settle down, I guess you can say I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was my second day in the capital city of Acluylia, which is known to be quite hostile towards visitors.

I was walking through the western shopping district which was right next to the castle when three cloaked figures ran from the castle and into the crowd.

"May Zomtyx be with you."

One of the cloaked figures said something to me but it was too hard for me to hear them while in the crowd of people.

I decided to try not to think much of it because it would affect my work if I spent my day trying to figure out what those people were doing.

Not even ten minutes later there was smoke coming from the castle and the guards from the castle put the western shopping district on lockdown.

There were guards trying to look for people who looked suspicious to try and find the people who attacked the castle.

I heard people talking among the crowd, they were saying "terrorists" and "The Ivie".

The Ivie was a terrorist group that terrorized every part of the world. No matter what the governments of the world did, they always seemed to be attacked by the Ivie. It was almost as if the terrorized for fun.

One guard stomped up to me, "You are not from here, are you? What is in that bag of yours?"

The guard forcefully ripped off the bag from my back and began to open it. "Hey what are you doing to my bag, I did not give you permission to look through my belongings have I?"

The guard mumbled. "I don't need permission."

The moment he opened my bag, a handful of Ivie propaganda spilled from my bag.

My mind shut down, all I could think was that I am going to die. But then I remembered that the cloaked people ran behind me, so that is why there is Ivie propaganda in my bag. So if I just tell the guard that I should be fine.

Before I was able to open my mouth, I was knocked out and taken to the city square.

I was awoken by the voice of someone yelling, "Here is an evil soul that is part of the Ivie group. He is also the one who attacked and killed the royal family."

I tried to talk but I only felt pain, my jaw seems to have been ripped off so I could not talk so I let out a scream of pain.

"So you finally are awake, Ivie scum. I am the captain of the Acluylia guards and you are about to be executed for your crimes." shouted the captain.

This was not supposed to end up this way, was it? I was oh so close to everything that I would have ever wanted. In the blink of an eye, I had naught.

I observed everyone around me, they looked at me with disgust in their eyes.

I knew that there was no way out of this because of their hostility to outsiders, also because they did have proof that it was me, Even though I did not do it. So there was no reason for me to try and fight my fate.

With all the pain I was feeling, I lost all the strength that I had to hold up my neck, so it drooped and I saw the puddle of blood that I was sitting in.

I was chained up against a pole, with a full view of the burning castle. The royal guard's blades pressed against my neck, leaving small cuts where they lie.

"It looks like you know your fate, off with his head!" Yelled the captain of the royal guards.

Darkness soon followed the order. That was it, the end of my short and almost completely fulfilled life. My dream of having a life that most people would be envious of was turned to dust and taken away by the wind.

To my surprise that was not the end. Just as my life ended and darkness consumed me something grabbed me and pulled me out of my soon to be eternal sleep.

As my eyes adjusted to the new light, I heard a voice that seemed to echo through my entire body. "You, the one that has just arrived, now that you have another chance at living, how about you help others with the one thing you could not complete. For you had no regrets other than your wish of a complete and pure life. You should know the hidden pain that is felt after knowing your wish will not be completed."

"What is happening? What do you mean help? Didn't I just die, shouldn't I be dead?" I question the voice.

The etheric body replied, "Ah, yes, you should, in fact, be dead, but I have deemed you worthy enough to allow you to choose your fate. You are the person most fit to become the final piece of the afterlife. You can become The Wishing Man, the one who helps people complete their wishes, desires, or anything that the person truly wants. Do you accept this, or do you wish to float for all eternity in darkness?

After pondering about the offer from the being for a long time I had made my choice. "Although I have no idea what you are or why I'm here, I accept".

"Good luck in your future adventures then, you will be the one to make the largest difference in the afterlife and in the mortal realm. You hold the power that nobody else does, you can change the fate of others with your powers. But with that all said, I will send you off to begin your journey." The voice called out.

I began to hear a faint pulsating sound, it was a mystical sound that sounded like something important was going to happen. But that being said he was going to send me off so I can begin my journey. So when am I... oh it seems as if it already happened.