Chapter 01 - Prologue

There is darkness around me. I seem to be the only source of light in the middle of nowhere. -So that is the afterlife like- I thought to myself. I can still remember my death; it was really unnatural now that I think about it.

It was a normal day, until the burglar showed up. I and my little sister were cooking lunch while my parents were shopping with my little brother and another little sister of mine. Then he showed up, walking into the house in broad daylight with a covered face. The burglar had a small and thin stature of about 1.70m. Rather small against my 2m with a burly build. But he threatened us with a big Knife and urged us to show him our valuables. My sister was to shocked to even register his words and I knew that our family was quite well of, though not rich. So I told him the truth. I told him, that my smartphone and console are upstairs. When he turned around, I sprinted and knocked him over. He hasn't dropped the knife though. As we fell the Knife skewered us both on it and we died of blood loss.

I mean, what's with a strange burglar showing up in a small village where everybody knows everybody. How has he even hidden that knife? Well, at least my sister is safe. I just hope that she can cope with the shock. And also my family, when they see my dead body, hopefully they don't get traumatized.

While still thinking prayers about my family I can see another light approaching me. This one seems much brighter than me, yet it still can't do anything about the darkness all around. When it finally reached me, I can feel a gentle warmth filling me. The light then gently pulled me in a direction, not that I could resist anyway, but I like this aura, it feels so soothing…

"…, hey. Hey, wake up." I seem to have fallen asleep. When I came to I was in a bright room. That was all there was to it, it was just blaringly bright, no decorations or anything, however I was not blinded. The only remarkable thing about this room is the beautiful silhouette of a woman in front of me, seemingly even brighter than the room.

{You are strangely calm about all this.} A tender voice sounded in my head.

I tried to answer, but no words left me.

{You have to think about it.} The voice sounded again. It is probably the woman talking to me.

I tried doing as she said. {Like this?} I thought.

{Right, that worked.} She seemed rather excited to talk to me.

{Ok. Well I was always like that, so it isn't really strange from my point of view. Still, I do know that nobody else is like that, thus you aren't wrong to call me strange.} I tried to answer her first question, since it has been a long time that someone was so full of enthusiasm when speaking to me.

{Sorry, I did not want to offend you, it is just that everybody else panicked for a few hours. You though, you just worried about your family.} She sounded genuinely sorry at her apology, even though I wasn't offended or anything. I just stated my point of view.

{That is because they aren't like me. And my family were always the only people who never looked at me like an alien. I truly liked them, maybe I even loved them.} I just now remembered their circumstances and began worrying again.

{Yeah, and they loved you. You don't need to worry that much, though they will need a lot of time to get over with it, it also helped them to get motivation in life.} Hearing how sure she was about that, relieved me. {Thanks for that info.}

{No Problem. But let us get back to the reason for why you are here. The system which governs over the afterlife did not know what to do with you.} That sounds rather disconcerting.

{Does that happen often?} While it probably doesn't, I am still curious.

{It sometimes happens. Most of the time it is because someone too evil died and needs to be permanently removed by me} I don't like how cheerful she sounded while saying that.

{So you are some kind of administrator?} Since I am, was, an agnostic person, I am just intrigued by the whole structure of god or gods.

{I am the creator of the system. I once did all the work by myself, but when I wanted to create more worlds my workload increased in proportion, so I invented the system.} She is saying rather unbelievable things as if they are nothing. I am really impressed.

{Well, that explains the comfortable feeling you exude. And what will happen to me now?} I am not evil according to the general standards of my world, I would say I am somewhere between neutral good and lawful neutral, but I am clueless of my alignment in her perspective.

{I don't know actually. You aren't evil, yet everybody else, even I, recognised you as strange and that led to an enormous amount of dislike towards you. Well humans are like that, I don't dislike you, just because you are different. And the system ignores the direct family, because of bias. So while the system felt that you are a good person, it also felt that everybody else counts you as bad. One thing leads to another and you ended up here.} She seems incredibly carefree about this whole topic, but I think she just doesn't want to stop our conversation. Must be lonely here.

{So you will judge me like you used to do?} I mean, she told me that this was once her work.

{Are you not scared that I will put you in torture?} She sounded so mischievous while saying this, that I knew she just wanted to test me.

{There is no use to be scared. While fear is a good thing, because it prepares us for the unexpected, there is nothing I could do to prepare, ergo my fear would be meaningless.} I wasn't on to lie, so I told her my answer to her little test.

{You know what, I like you. You are the only person whom I have ever talked to without fear of me. And while our topics are really strange it is also really amusing me. But I can't just keep you here forever.} She seemed truly relieved with my answer and began to talk while pondering.

{I don't think I would like that idea either.} The concept of eternity is not something I can comprehend. I know however that even my mentality wouldn't survive it.

{You don't like me?} I feel like I heard a pout there.

{Not that, as a matter of fact your aura is comforting, your voice feels incredibly nice and your silhouette looks beautiful, but I think I would go crazy in this blank space with nothing to do except thinking and seeing.} I did not want her to misunderstand me, even if she just wanted to tease me.

{Thanks for the compliment, hehe. I have a proposal: I allow you to reincarnate in a world with magic, where you can live your life and I give you the ability to talk to me, in a way.} What a blissful feeling her happy voice induces. Even the proposal sounds nice, and I often dreamed about living in a magical world, but I was realistic enough to know the incredible danger of such worlds.

{Why not in a normal world, like my old one?} My curiosity got the better of me.

{Because introducing a magical ability into a nonmagical world leads to a catastrophe.} Now I feel bad for asking. I don't want her to be so gloomy.

{Ok, so a magical world. If so, then I would like to request for an ability which allows me to reach the peak of the world. And please don't give me another family.} I got back on topic to get her out of the bad thoughts.

{No problem, but why?} While her curiosity seemed genuine, it felt as if she already has an idea.

{You know, I think I felt genuine love for my family. That is why I don't want to get another family, because I will expect them to be like my old family and that would be unfair against them.} It would just be selfish of me to hurt these people.

{Hmmm… I know, why don't you make your own family?} She sounds as if it isn't harder than making breakfast using cereals.

{It is not that I haven't tried, but everybody always treated me like an alien.} How could I feel attracted to other people when they treat me with obvious prejudice.

{But you seem to have enough socialising skills, so it had to be your aura and looks…} I needed to be at least capable of this, otherwise I would have never got a job.

{Can you please not insult my dead body.} But the other point she mentioned is more important.

{Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just always see the soul and not the body of a person, it just slipped my mind that humans are so fixated about looks.} She doesn't sound sorry at all. Then again, even her silhouette seems incredibly enchanting, so her opinion is likely biased.

{I can't deny that, but can we get back to the topic?} She is certainly not wrong about that aspect of humans. I really admire my parents with how they can always say their partner looks the best, even though everybody else would tell me that it isn't true, must be love. And while I would say that my treatment of others isn't based on looks, I would still prefer interacting with a beautiful person than with an ugly one. This bias of mine is also why I was never bothered with being excluded by others.

{See, I really like talking to you. So let me sum up. The ability to talk to me, an ability to reach the peak of the world. A body which helps you in creating and keeping a big family, and a world which hits your preference about looks. Oh and a really long lifespan, so that we can keep talking for a long time.} There are a lot of extras in the list, but I know that she wants to help me.

{I feel like you are mocking me somehow, but I also feel really grateful for your consideration. I will probably ask you for a lot of help with the creation of a family, seeing how you have created a lot of families.} I tried to mock her back, but even I know how bad this pun was.

{I better also help you with your jokes... One last thing. Why do you want to reach the peak of the world?} She sounds like a big sister chiding her younger brother. I feel strangely intimidated.

{I don't want to do it. I just want to be capable of doing it. Because one day I might have something worth to protect.} That is my hope for this second life of mine.

{That is a nice outlook in life.} She said this with a smile. Not that I saw it, I just knew.

Then she neared me.

{Wait. Before I go, can I have your name? I don't want to start all our conversations with Creator} Just thinking about having someone on your side for the rest of your life and not even knowing her name feels not right.

{Well, I don't have a name. Nobody ever had the boldness to name me, they only gave me titles.} That pride sounded incredibly fake.

{Then I will call you Luna. Let that be your nickname from now on.} I tried playing along with her attitude while giving her the name of the moon. It is the celestial body I liked the most. I find it fitting.

*giggle* {I shall allow it, from now on you are to call me Luna.} Maybe I should just stay, so that I can hear more this heavenly tone.

{Ok, Luna, goodbye and speak to you soon.} I will just have to talk a lot with her.

{Goodbye.}

Luna then approached me until she floated directly in front of me. I closed my metaphorical eyes and waited. But nothing happened. Just as I was about to open them again, I felt a heavenly feeling on what I consider to be my cheek, sand everything went blank.