A Life, Death, & Rebirth. 

My name was Niklaus O'Megas, and at the age of 9, I built my first quantum-computer. At the age of 13, I hacked into DARPA because they stole my code for a self aware AI. Now, I'm 29 years old, and I'm a world-renowned prodigy.

To put it simply, I'm a genius, I won't say I'm the smartest man on the planet, but others have said it for me. After dropping out of MIT, I decided to go into business for myself, I started a small company I named OMEGA. I know what you're thinking; 'how could a 16 year old start a company after dropping out of collage?' Well its surprisingly easy. 

Within under a decade, I'd grown OMEGA from a simple start-up to a globally ranked billion-dollar corporation, through a series of business mergers and corporate takeovers. OMEGA Incorporated became on of the five biggest companies in the world, right behind the Triumvirate of Apple-Google-Microsoft, and the Disney Entertainment Group. 

My company had interests in agriculture, tech, defence, energy, pharmaceutical, and the likes, but at its heart, it was always about improving the human condition. The media took to giving me outlandish monikers like 'the Pioneer of Tomorrow' or my personal favorite 'the Prince of Prodigies'. I made it my business to not just make better products for my customers, but to also make better customers for my products. I had an eye for talent; finding it, grooming it, promoting it and enhancing it. I sponsored a number of scholarships and research grants, and founded educational outreach programs, all to raise the next generation of geniuses to carry on my work.

I was also known as a bit of a lady's man, able to charm the panties off a nun and was one of the world's most eligible bachelors. Yes, I did have relations with a princess from the British royal family, though I will not say which one.

My life does sound great, but there's a whole lot of bad mixed in there with the good. I've been the victim of multiple attempted and successful kidnappings, a number of assassination attempts, grand larceny, corporate espionage, a LOT of honey traps… and even a false marriage that one time, don't ask. Being a prodigy makes one a target, and there are many people in my life that would love to take me down. I've also done less than savory things with less than reputable people, made some backroom, under-the-table deals, I have taken lives before, through my orders and with my own hands. All this to say, my life isn't just black and white, but a multitude of grays.

I have to say, thought, the hardest thing about being me, would be that I doesn't stop. Having ADHD and a genius-level intellect is not a good combination; I can become fixated on a project to the point of obsession, then I lose all interest in it as I find a new project to work on. They say there is a fine line between genius and madness, and I have played double-dutch with that line; I've gone for days without sleep, I've had a number of therapists over the course of my life, I have taken every drug and stim out there, and I've had more women claim I'm the father of their children than Nick Canon.

All in all, my life was never dull.

I was on the Elon Musk Foundation's new pioneer flight to their Mars colony when death came to play once more. I wasn't sure whether it was through a freak accident or malicious intent, but my fate had been sealed before I even knew it. During reentry into Mars, the shuttle experienced some complications with the flight control, it crashed into Olympus Mons, taking all hands with it.

You'd think that'd be where my story ends, but you'd be wrong. After going through the experience of dying from a shuttle crash, I woke up and saw that I was in a complete white void, naked. Before me was probably the most unique woman I'd ever seen, her skin was free of even the most minute blemishes, half of her body was pure white in color, while the other half was perfect glossy black; her hair, skin, and the two large angel wings that were behind her. Her eyes were a brilliant gold that glowed with power. Her beauty was ethereal, and I couldn't tell you why, but seeing her put me at ease. Also she was completely naked, which was a welcomed sight. She was standing in the middle of dozens of large glowing spheres that floated around her, studying each so intently she didn't even notice me.

"Uh, where am I?" I demanded, "and who are you?"

She turned to me, shocked by my voice, "Huh? How did you get over there, Nik?" she moved her lips but no sound came from her, like she was on mute, instead her her words echoed in my head. Oddly, hearing her soothing voice put me at ease.

"That's what I'd like to know?" I told her, "wait… how do you know my name?"

"I know many things," she said plainly, "like how you are currently fantasizing about sleeping with this form of mine. Not that I blame you; it is quite ravishing." She was then groping her own breasts inquisitively, as if only just noticing them.

"Who… or what are you?" I asked the woman who was still exploring her own body, "What is this place?"

"Hmm, that's a bit of an explanation," she mused, putting her finger to her chin in thought. God, why was everything she did so sexy? "I guess in terms you can understand, I'm what you'd call a god. I don't really have a name in the sense that your kind comprehends, but if it helps, I guess you can just call me Lena… that was your mother's name right?" 

"Yeah." I shrugged, "So… are you, like, the God?"

She smiled at me, obviously amused, "Well, that is a complicated answer. I'm the administrator over these worlds, I maintain the balance between order and chaos, and oversee the transfer of souls between them." 

"That's really interesting and all," I said, "but why am I here? Last I remember, I died,"

"Yes, you did." Lena nodded, "not that big of a deal, it happens to you mortals all the time. Anyway, you were in transit, but the system got backed up, so you ended up out here."

"Transit?"

"Yes, your soul was being repurposed, transferred to another of the worlds under my jurisdiction. I believe you mortals call it reincarnation? Anyway, a small apocalypse on another world flooded the infinite river, so you got flushed out while the system compensates."

"So I was about to be reincarnated?" I guessed, "that's interesting,"

Lena studied him, "you're taking this much better than other souls who end up here from time to time,"

"Well, you said it is all part of a system, the infinite river, so that means all souls from these worlds go through it constantly." I supposed, "My guess is that this isn't even the first time it has happened to me, right?."

"You truly are fascinating," Lena mused, "anyway the system is recalibrating right now but eventually, it'll reset, and you'll be put back in the flow, none the wiser. So in the meantime I guess we can just chat." Lena turned to him, awkwardly fiddling with her hands, "this hasn't happened in a while, so I could use a little break."

"Yeah but, all you're doing is staring at those globes," I said, noticing one that looked exactly like Earth, "I'm guessing this is the world I just came from?"

"Ah, Terra Firma, yes. It's one of my favorites," she nodded, "not much in the way of esoteric power, but the sheer creativity and imagination of that world is almost enough to keep this whole system running automatically,"

"Well, I'm glad my world pleased you so much," I said, 

She chuckled, "you're very interesting, Nik O'Megas, the things you were able to do there… and you're still thinking of sleeping with me,"

"Guilty," I admitted, "you have quite the body, star goddess Lena,"

"Just 'Lena' is fine," she blushed, then paused, surprised by her own reaction, "I am feeling all kinds of things being next to you. I think I might like you,"

"It's not your fault, I like me too," I quipped, "I'm just unnaturally likable,"

Lena chuckled and actually snorted with laughter, "You're a hell of a lot more fun than the others who end up here. I'm almost tempted to…"

She stopped speaking when she noticed that my body was turning to vapor and getting pulled towards one of the spheres, 

"Huh? What's happening?" I asked, looking through my own hands

"Looks like it's started," Lena heaved a dissatisfied sigh, "the system is back up, and your soul is being translated into a new world."

"Already? Well, that's disappointing."

"Don't worry; you're just getting a new life in this world," she said, "try not to get into too much trouble,"

"I wish we had more time to chat," I said

She seemed surprised by this, but smiled warmly, "Me too,"

"I guess I'll see you around?" I smirked

"Maybe you might," she smirked, planting a quick kiss on my lips, "good luck."

I don't know what happened, but as soon as she kissed me, I instantly felt different. As the last of my form faded into pure energy, I was absorbed into the globe before the goddess. I returned to darkness, only now, I had the memory of Lena's perfection burned into my very soul. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

With a start, Nik suddenly recalled his meeting with the administrator god, Lena, and with that, memories of his past life flooded into his mind, making him realized that he had, indeed, been reincarnated. 

Taking stock of his current situation, he discovered that he was an infant, a toddler possibly no older than two years of age. He had been reborn, like Lena had said. The years of his past life mostly blurred together in his mind, some of the memories were sharp and he could recall them with precise clarity, but most were blurry and vague, like a faded dream. For the most parts, he still felt like himself.

It took him a while to come to grips with the existential dilemma of actually recalling his past life and figuring out his new sense of self, and to do so in the body of a baby was not as convenient as the stories make it out to be, but eventually, he came to fully understand and accept his current situation. He had been reborn into another world, as a kyn, a race of draconic humanoids that stood at an average height of 2 and a half meters tall, with distinct and elaborate horns, as well as long prehensile tails, and digitigrade legs. They had four digits on each hand, three fingers and an opposable thumb, as well as four toes. 

As a heteromorphic race, the kyn possessed multiple variations of unique subspecies, all evolved based on a host of physiological and environmental factors. They came in a spectrum of skin tones, from bright red, to deep violet, with the rarest complexions being alabaster white or onyx black. Nik's own skin color was a stone gray, with ashen hair, he had red eyes in black sclera, and his horns were still just two stumpy protrusions on his forehead.

He lived in a tribal kyn settlement called the Blackstone Clan, which was located in the valley of a mountain range known as the Sacred Pyre. This mountain range was just a small part of an expansive peninsula known as the Gravelands, which was a very mountainous terrain, with deep valleys and plateaus, and was also very volcanically active. It usually had a tropical climate, with dense rainforest covering vast swaths of the terrain. The Gravelands was populated almost exclusively by kyn of different clans that were spread out and claimed territories across the peninsula. It was also saturated in this primordial life energy known as aether, which led most to call it a Nexus of Power.

The clan had a population of about a few thousand or so kyn –not counting children, or younglings as they are called— and was very close-knit with a strong sense of community. The clan had a loose caste system; fire, water, earth, air and spirit, which each kyn was assigned to upon reaching adulthood and everyone was expected to contribute to the collective good of the clan. Most younglings were raised communally and they grew rather quickly, reaching full maturity after about thirteen years of life, at which point they were chosen by a caste and became a full member of the clan.

The tribal lifestyle was a bit archaic to Nik when he first witnessed it, but the longer he lived there, the more value he saw in its simplicity. Their culture was wholly unique, and because of the tropical climate, the kyn were usually lightly dressed in simple yet colorfully ornate attire, and as a warrior culture it was not uncommon to incorporate light armor into their wardrobe.

Being aware of his past life, Nik was able to mature mentally rather quickly. He was relatively sure he wasn't supposed to recall his past life, but maybe the star goddess Lena had done something so he retained those memories. He didn't just suddenly wake up in the body of a toddler, he could still vaguely recall earlier memories from this new life, although not much of it. It wasn't as difficult to readjust to his new life as he would've thought, and he found acclimatizing to his new way of life manageable.

By the age of 3, he was already speaking and walking, at a much more advanced level than other younglings his age. While the other younglings were raised and looked after communally, for some reason, Nik was raised almost solely by his own mother. For most of his early life in this new world, it was just him and his mother, thus he had developed a special bond with her, so much so that he could have been considered a 'mama's boy' if such a concept existed in this world. His mother was a mature beauty, with alabaster skin, pale blonde hair and bright emerald green eyes. Like most adult kyn it was virtually impossible to guess her age from her appearance –she could've been seventeen years of age or seventy and would still look relatively the same. She, like every kyn, looked almost human, with the exception of their horns, tails, hands, and legs, which actually helped Nik come to accept them much easier than he would admit.

Around his 4th year, he met his father for the first time, Aran Ironhand. He was the chief of the village, and first among the elders that led the clan. Aran had five wives, Nik was the child of his fourth wife, Willa, who also happened to be Aran's younger sister. Apparently, incest and polygamy were common practices in kyn culture, and was practiced among multiple kyn clans within the Gravelands, which wasn't that surprising as the ratio of female to male kyn was essentially 7:3, so it was pretty common for multiple females to share a male spouse in order to mate. They also had a high child mortality rate, which was another cultural issue on its own.

From what Nik understood, Kyn culture was a meritocracy, where status and authority was dependent on accomplishments, the more accolades one achieves, the higher they are on the social order and more influence they have in the clan. Kyn society was largely centered around honor, so every kyn lived by an unspoken code that was similar to chivalry. In kyn society, the chief held the highest authority, and only those with high enough status could challenge their decision or position. Nik also found out that a youngling's standing was mostly based on the mother not the father, which was why Nik and his mother were treated like pariahs in the clan.

As Nik grew older, he began to fully grasp the way of life within the clan, and one day, when he was 6, he thought of ways he could improve it, he was still a prodigy, after all. It was challenging at first, having to adapt to a preindustrial civilization, but he adapted. Starting small, with simple investigations and experiments around the village and surrounding valley, most people would've just assumed it was him being playful and curious, like all younglings. Once he had a good grasp of what he could currently accomplish, he got bolder; developing advanced concepts for irrigation and sanitation; designing a more accurate methods of timekeeping; even coming up with some simple engineering improvements to the way yurts were constructed and arranged around the village. He had more failures than successes at the start, but he kept at it, and small by small, he started having an impact on the village. All this pretty much cemented him a reputation of being an odd child and a maverick, especially when he challenged some of the deeply held beliefs of the kyn.

The Sacred Pyre mountains that surround the village hold a great deal of spiritual significance to the kyn. According to legends, the peninsula was once home to great dragons eons ago, titanic creatures of primordial creation that once dominated the world, until a great cataclysm befell the land, that threatened to consume all. While many fled, the bravest of the dragons stayed behind, sacrificing their bodies to the earth, and becoming one with the land itself, in so doing, stopping the doom that would have consumed the world. This legend does hold truth in it, as the Gravelands are littered with the remains of tens of hundreds of the great beasts, forming a country-sized burial ground –owing to its name—, all of which have become part of the land itself, overgrown with wild flora. From these fossils, the kyn discovered the rare material, orichalcum, the unique ore abundant throughout the Gravelands that possesses special properties from having absorbed the primal aether of the land. Because of its abundance, it has become one of the staple resource in kyn culture, being used in everything from armor and weapons to ceremonial attire. 

As Nik grew, he felt instinctively drawn to the mountain peaks that surrounded the village, and he learned that all younglings felt the call, beckoning them up the peaks. Because of all the dangers that awaited them on the peaks, it was forbidden for younglings to climb the mountains, something that was vehemently enforced by every parent. Late one evening, when he was 6, he snuck out from his home and left the village, heading towards the peaks. His curiosity had gotten the better of him and he was determined to discover the source behind the mysterious summons that drew him to the peak. He didn't make it very far, though, as he ran into another youngling who had also been out. She was tall, with pale red skin, big sapphire blue eyes, and had long cobalt blue hair done in a messy ponytail, she had one curved horn at her left temple that cut right through her bangs.

This was their first time meeting, but Nik felt a familiarity to her, like he'd met her before. It took him a few moments to realize it, and when he did, he was stunned; beneath the kyn visage, she vividly resembled the image of the star goddess Lena he faintly recalled from before being reborn. From her posture, to the way she pursed her lips, to even the curve of her eyebrows, she reminded him of the entity he had met in that place between places. 

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked with folded arms, framing her bust which were just at his eye level. She wore a sleeveless dress that really accentuated the curves of her blossoming body and stopped mid-thigh, her bare arms were decorated with golden bracelets and armlets. 

"The mountain," he replied simply and honestly

"Really?" she asked, "Huh, are you just saying that when, in actuality, you're going to go spy on naked girls somewhere? 'Cuz I'd understand if you were."

"Why would you think I'd do that?" Nik asked, "And if I was, why would I make up such an outrageous excuse?"

"I dunno, boys your age are all little perverts and liars," she shrugged, "You're Willa's kid, aren't you?"

Nik nodded. He'd noticed over the years that many of the adults kept their distance from his mother, like she was someone they only knew of through rumors.

"The returner everyone talks about," she commented, eyeing him with the utmost scrutiny, "you don't look like much,"

Apparently, there were special individuals born every few generations known as returners. They were, ironically, believed to be the reincarnations of great kyn ancestors. It was another facet of kyn spiritualism that Nik just couldn't understand.

"You're not like the other kyn around here, are you?" she asked

"What makes you say that?"

"Intuition," she says, "you're not just smart, they say you have wisdom and insight far beyond your years."

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Nik asked, "Are you going to let me pass now or what?"

"Oh, I can't do that." she said, "younglings are forbidden from leaving the village at night, not to even mention going up the mountain."

"Why?" Nik asked

"Because you'll be killed, rather easily, by the many things that live out there," she answered enthusiastically,

"I can take care of myself," Nik retorted. In his past life he had trained in several forms of martial arts for self-defense, and was even a master in three of them. 

"Really?" she asked with a sly grin, like she'd just found a new plaything, "then try and get past me by force."

He knew from how she was looking at him that she was underestimating him, so, without much warning he attacked her.

She beat him quite handily, it was his utter defeat. He'd never been so thoroughly humbled by another person even in his past life. She was obviously bigger and stronger than he was, but she was also much faster, moving so fluidly he couldn't keep up with her as she literally danced all over him.

As he lay on the ground, with a black eye and bloody nose, she extends a hand down to him and pulled him up.

"I like you, kid," she smirks, "You're somewhat strong for your age, and seem to have a good enough grasp on how to defend yourself in a fight. Of course you're still nowhere near as strong, fast, or as skilled as I am, though very few people are."

"You say good enough, but I couldn't even touch you." Nik grumbled

"Of course you couldn't," she snorted like that should have been obvious, "but you still managed to counter me once or twice." she smiled slapping him on the back, "you'll do great someday… against other opponents; even then you still wouldn't be as good as me."

"You really are the picture of modesty," Nik sighed

"Modesty isn't really my thing; I earned my skills and will take pride in showing them off without hesitation." she boasted,

"I take it I'm in trouble for sneaking out, huh?" Nik sighed

"Oh, big trouble," she smiled, winking at him, "But I'll keep this our little secret."

"Why?"

"Because you interest me, and that doesn't happen very often." she explained, "You're a special kid, as a fellow special kid myself I can tell."

"I didn't know you were also a returner," Nik said

"I'm not," she shook her head, "but there are more ways to be special than just being reincarnated. I am our father's favorite child, so of course I'm special."

With a jump, Nik realized that she was one of his father's daughters from another wife, making her his half-sister. He had never meet another one of Aran's children before, but he figured there would be quite a few of them running around the village.

Nik looked back towards the mountains one more time, before sighing, resigned to abandoning his quest.

"Don't worry, when you're of age, you'll start your proving, then you can go up the mountain for as long as you like." she said, "What's your name anyway?"

"Nik," he replied, incidentally, his mother had given him the same name he'd had from his past life.

"Nice to meet you, Nik," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm Scarlet."