new beginning

As I swam through the unending darkness, I felt an unsettling calm and a peculiar sense of satisfaction. It was as though I belonged to this dark, lonely yet oddly welcoming void.While I was absentmindedly gazing into the abyss, a panel appeared before me, glowing softly with an elegant light.

[Greetings,I am the Random Gifts System,

and you are to be my host.

Gifts are completely random, and the host has no control over what the gift will be. There is no specific time to receive your gift; it is entirely random.

I trust everything is understandable?]

I was completely startled. Although I had been buried in work in my previous life, I still found time to read a few novels and fanfiction. They were a splendid distraction from my overthinking self. I was familiar with systems from novels, and now, it seemed, I had one too—a system dependent on my luck.

As my thoughts kept popping up one after the other, another panel appeared, replacing the previous one.

[Congratulations 🎊 on escaping death! You have received your very first gift:Skill: Fourth Wall (not the original, a simple replica]

"Oh, so I'm not dead, am I? I have rather mixed feelings about this. At one point, I rather welcomed the idea of being dead, but now, after seeing all these intriguing things, I don't think I'd want to die with regrets.And about that skill, I don't know why, but I believe I read about it in one of my novels. Although I didn't have much time to read because I was too busy with work, I still remember it. Oh well, I suppose time will reveal all."

As I drifted into the darkness, I couldn't tell how many years or centuries had passed. The passage of time was meaningless here. I felt the last remnants of my humanity and sense of self slowly fading into the almost welcoming void.

And so I continued to float around without purpose, only for the panel to disturb my peace once more.

[Congratulations! Your body is being formed in the womb as we speak:Gift 1: Wizard Trait (from now on, you'll be able to use magic)

Gift 2: Targaryen Bloodline (The Targaryens were mystical people with magic in their blood. Their ability to control dragons was one of the many enigmatic skills they derived from the dragonlords of Old Valyria).]

At this point, I barely gave the panel a second thought. I knew I was going to be reborn, and that was enough. After drifting for what felt like eons, the novelty of existence had worn thin. I was tired, indifferent to the idea of starting over. Yet, a flicker of determination sparked within me.After all this endless nothingness, the prospect of life, no matter how fleeting, held a certain appeal. "This time, I won't let it slip away," I resolved, my last coherent thought before losing consciousness for the first time in who knows how long.

>>>>>>>>

I woke up to the sound of a cheerful female voice. "Hello there, my little girl. Petunia, look here, darling," the voice prattled on, but I didn't pay much attention, other than noting my name was Petunia. "Ugh," I thought. I wasn't fond of the name, and the idea of living with it was rather tiresome, to say the least.My vision was blurry, given that I was in a child's body, so I couldn't really see much. Then, another panel appeared in my mind. It had probably been nine months since my last gift, and I found myself somewhat curious about what it would be this time.

[Congratulations on being born as Petunia Evans. Gift: A Ymbryne template - a type of peculiar being with the ability to manipulate time and transform into a bird.]

"Huh?! Petunia Evans?! Isn't that a character from the Harry Potter universe?" I thought. That's intriguing. Is it actually a coincidence or something else? Only time will tell. But considering my witch bloodline, I could assume as much. At least this Petunia won't be as useless as the original one.With a mix of boredom and curiosity, I mused, "This life, I'm going to use it to the fullest, if not more. This, I swear." As much as the flow of events felt strangely amusing, I found myself almost looking forward to what lay ahead.