Chapter 3: Bad Touch
Mike had the mental image of a vast celestial courtroom where a massive Zeus-like figure handed him a doll and told him to point to the place Fate had touched him. Suppressing a chuckle, he asked, "So, what exactly does that mean?"
"To explain that, I'll have to start from the way the multiverse is shaped. There are an uncounted number of universes surrounded by a sea of chaotic possibility which in turn makes up the multiverse. Fate is the term used to describe the force that holds the multiverse together and prevents the sea of possibility from consuming the universes. It shapes the way universes form, move, and eventually end while simultaneously giving the multiverse structure. To put it simply, it's a bit like mass of strings that stitches everything together...Except that the strings are kind of alive...and kind of move from time to time...and change things sometimes..."
Mike stared at the goddess, who then looked away with a blush, a pink color tinging her aura. "I'm not the best with analogies, alright?"
Smiling to himself, Mike responded. "So, is Fate benevolent?"
"It's hard to label it that way, because while it serves as a stabilizing force for the multiverse, it will occasionally interfere with the contents of individual universes, and not always to the benefit of those universes."
"It is sentient?"
"Not exactly. We believe that the force has some degree of awareness, but it's closer to the neurons that governs the reflex response your hand makes when it touches something hot. Occasionally, for reasons that no one save the Ancient Ones really understand, Fate will move, passing through an existing multiverse."
Selenica crossed her arms and leaned back slightly before continuing. "Normally, most major events are already laid out in advance by the gods who manage each universe. Small details, like what you had for breakfast or where leaves fall during autumn, are largely left to a combination of free will and chance. However, when a Fate string passes through a universe, it can have some unexpected consequences. Any individual soul touched during one of these movements becomes irrevocably marked, altering that individual's destiny."
Mike decided to ignore the confusing idea of Fate hijacking his destiny. "So, what does that mean for me?"
The goddess looked a bit sheepish, her golden aura turning a bit yellow. "Well…basically, you weren't supposed to have died yet. In the original plan for your life, you should have passed through that intersection and been further away before the accident. You would have been hurt by the blast, but eventually would have made a full recovery. However….."
"However, I was distracted by an unusual looking cat and got stuck when the light changed."
Selenica nodded. "That was likely the manifestation of Fate as it touched your soul. Since your soul is both too dense and Fate-marked, you are no longer able to reincarnate normally. Luckily for you, this Ancient One has taken an interest in your case and is willing to lend its assistance in bringing you back into the reincarnation cycle." She said while gesturing vaguely towards the sky.
"That reminds me, you haven't really explained about this Ancient One. Why can't I see it, and why does it sound like a whale trying to talk through a blender?"
"Your weak mind is unable to fully comprehend the Ancient One's form or voice. It has graciously deigned to both reduce its presence and words to a far lower level in order to avoid popping your soul like a soap bubble. Be grateful that this Ancient One is both benevolent and kind to you lesser beings."
"Wow," Mike said while staring up at the sky, "thanks for that, robot whale ghost."
He was answered by a fog horn-like blast, mixed with the sound of someone dropping a drawer full of silverware into a metal trashcan. Mike felt it vaguely resembled laughter.
Selenica glared at him again before sighing. "Unfortunately, we can't reincarnate you into your old world. Your soul has way too much substance and any body you inhabited would simply explode shortly after you got there."
"That sounds bad."
"With the Ancient One's assistance, I can send you to another world designed for stronger souls, but that presents its own problem. Since you are marked by Fate, you will exist outside of the usual pattern of events in that world. This means we can only bring into that world in one of two ways. We could place you inside the body of an otherwise stillborn baby, a being with no real destiny. Alternatively, we could create an entirely new body and introduce it into the world directly. There are positive and negative aspects to both options. Reincarnating as a baby means you'll have a family to protect you until can acclimate to the world, but you'll also have to go through childhood again. You'd also be vulnerable to outside forces until you were old enough to take care of yourself. Starting in a new body will allow you live as you please right away, but will leave you alone in an unfamiliar world."
She paused as if considering her next words, "I will let you decide which course you want to follow."
Mike considered the two options. While the idea of being alone and ignorant in a strange new place was slightly terrifying, he couldn't imagine having to be a baby again. The sheer helplessness that state would bring scared him more than anything else. He decided to go with the option that offered fewer immediate problems at the expense of long-term benefits.
"I'll take the second option."
"Are you sure? It will make things difficult for you until you get used to your new life."
Mike hesitated for a second, then nodded.
"Alright, I'll get the process started." Selenica motioned with the clipboard in her hand and Mike felt a subtle vibration that seemed to resonate with his soul. The Ancient One let out a deep thrum, more felt than heard, that seemed to amplify the vibration briefly before it faded away. "In the meantime, I'll go over some things about the world you are heading towards."
She held up her empty hand and suddenly a small spinning globe appeared, floating a few cm above her exposed palm. Mike could see varying shades of blue, green, white, and brown. It looked very similar to Earth with multiple continents surrounded by large oceans. Two white icecaps were visibly under the swirling masses of cloud.
"This is Ea, and you would probably describe it as a fantasy world. There are a number of different sentient races who make this world their home." At this point the globe in her hand changed into a series of rapidly changing silhouettes. Mike was sure he saw something that looked like a dwarf, an elf, and cat-eared person. He could feel his heartbeat quicken in anticipation.
"Life is more robust in this universe than you are probably used to. The native gods have succeed in infusing their realm with a couple unique forms of energy that happen to have positive effects on living creatures. Plants grow more quickly, the biodiversity is extensive, and the people will in general be healthier and heal faster than on Earth." Perhaps noticing the excitement that Mike couldn't hide, Selenica went on. "It's not all beneficial, so don't get too excited. The energies also give rise to a number of strange and dangerous monsters which Ea's inhabitants are frequently in conflict with."
She paused to examine Mike's face for a moment. Whatever she saw there seemed to satisfy her since she showed a slight smile before continuing.
"Ea carries a unique system that interfaces with the multiverse's Akashic Records. It serves as a sort of corrective guidance for the inhabitants of this world, granting them abilities based on their actions. However, it is an impartial system and benefits all inhabitants. This means even truly evil beings can gain strength."
With a smirk, Mike said, "OK, to summarize, we have a standard fantasy setting complete with elves, dwarfs, beast-people and the like. There is probably some form of magic built into the system. Technology is probably on par with Medieval Europe. Am I right so far?"
Selenica shrugged and simply stated, "More or less. The big thing for you to know is that we are going to have to convert some of your soul density into blessings before we can even transmigrate you. Blessings are more effective if they stem from a particularly strongly held desire, so what do you wish for? And before you go wishing for extensive wealth or god-like power, there are a number of limitations on blessings. The more pure hearted the better. Try to keep your wish simple and self- contained."
Mike frowned. "So no wishing for more wishes?"
Selenica didn't even bother to respond, merely continued to stare him down.
"So how many blessings will I get?"
"It depends on the nature of the blessing. If we take too much from your soul it could cause long-term degradation and soul dissolution."
[Fine, I guess I'll try to keep it simple] Mike thought to himself. He looked back on his life spent reading about more interesting people. Every day spent trying to escape his own tedious, apathetic existence in the vain hope that someday, something would come to change all that. Now that he finally had another chance to reinvent himself in a new world, the only thing he wished for was help making sure he didn't fall into old ruts.
After a few minutes of thought, opened his eyes and faced the goddess. She was slightly taken aback by the serious and determined look he displayed. "I've decided. What I want, is the chance see what this world has to offer, try all kinds of new things, meet new and interesting people, and have enough luck to do so without too much trouble."
Selenica stared at him for a second before breaking out into a warm and gentle smile. A soft orange glow suffused her surrounds, bringing to mind a sunset on the ocean. Mike felt his breath catch in his throat as he was suddenly, painfully reminded that he was looking at the single most beautiful person he had ever seen. [Ah, now that is a goddess I can believe in.] An unfamiliar warmth started spreading through his chest.
So focused was he on examining her face that he almost missed what she said next. "Very well Michael Rasmussen. That is a wish we can work with."
Mike noticed a faint, almost mechanical whine from the floor underneath him as a circle of light enveloped him. Squinting against the sudden glow, he could just make out the figure of the goddess raising a hand in farewell.
"I wish you well in your new life."
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