Chapter 1: Chosen Wrong
Brine Beckett stood with a flat expression as he looked around the street at the passerby, the cars on the road, the people through the store windows, etc.
However, this was not the usual people watching Brine did while walking down the street. That is what he was doing before. But as he was doing this, everything stopped.
The people walking on the street. The cars on the road. The birds flying in the sky. Everything came to a halt as though time had stopped.
"This is strange," Brine slowly said.
"Fret not mortal child," an echoing voice declared. "You are safe."
Brine raised his head as a glowing ball of light descended.
"Greetings child, I am Azichael - a servant of the divine. I have come to ask a great favor of you. Unbeknownst to you, there are countless universes that exist besides your own. In these universes, there are great heroes who are integral to their world's stability. However, an unknown force has been twisting fate. Events where these heroes lived are instead acting as their execution!"
"Unfortunately, whatever this force is, it is beyond our power to stop and its actions cannot be undone. However, the divine has found a means to rectify this alteration of destiny. A chosen champion shall be given the opportunity to have their soul transcend and inhabit the bodies of these fallen heroes to give them new life to fulfill their journey and save their world. Thus, we ask you - Brine Beckett - will you be our champion?"
Brine stared at Azichael blankly - mouth slightly ajar. Once the divine servant finished speaking, his mouth opened and closed but no sound came out before shutting completely. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he clapped his hands together and looked at the orb. "So, if I've got this right. Multiverse - real. Something is going around and rigging plot points so protagonists die rather than come out on top like MCs do. And now you're asking me to embark on a multiversal isekai adventure to possess their bodies, take their place, and finish their stories?"
"Um…That is certainly one way to phrase our request. But, yes. That is what we ask of you."
Interlocking his fingers together with both index fingers outstretched, Brine tapped them against his lip before asking, "But why me? I'm a bastard?"
Azichael spoke in a kind, gentle tone. "Do not be so quick to disparage yourself - Brine Beckett. You are more important than you know. Truth be told, we do not know the cause of this phenomenon, nor do we know how much harm its influence has caused. We only discovered it after it made a particularly catastrophic change."
"Your world is on the verge of awakening its own heroes to save it from disaster. But this phenomenon targeted the catalyst that would band these heroes together and set them on their path. This caught our attention, and we were able to intervene in time to save the catalyst. It was our investigation into what happened that revealed this series of disasters across universes. As this was the most recent world affected by the phenomenon and it failed to dispatch your world's heroes, we chose to find an individual from here to be our champion. Looking into the events to come, we found you to be the most consistent and influential figure. Will you help us?"
Brine pointed his index fingers at Azichael and said, "So, there's a metaphysical disaster going around killing people and you found the trail by accident. Then, when you realized what was happening, you panicked and picked the first guy you found. That about right?"
Azichael sputtered and his orb-like form shook. In truth, it was exactly as Brine said. Realizing the travesty that had escaped their notice, the divine quickly checked this world and found 'the most important person in events to come'. However, the divine servant did not want to admit to this and tried to deflect, "Why would you think such a thing?"
Continuing to point his index fingers at Azichael, Brine replied, "Because you're asking me to be a hero. You clearly didn't check anything about me. If I'm a main character to whatever is going to happen, it's probably not a good thing."
Taken aback by Brine's claims, Azichael floated back but subtly - not that Brine would be able to tell - decided to do as suggested and see who exactly was Brine Beckett. Upon review, the divine servant was taken aback and unable to stop himself from incredulously blurting out, "A three-year-old girl!?"
Brine lowered his hands and looked at Azichael in confusion. "What are you- Oh! Shit, that's pretty far back. Okay, in my defense, I was at that age where if something feels good and isn't wrong, I'm not going to stop it."
"You intentionally molested a small child!"
Brine raised an eyebrow at this while shoving his hands in his pockets. "Not quite how I remember it, but I admit my memory is a little fuzzy about exactly what I did. On the other hand, I'm ninety-six percent sure I've never done that." He sighed and then looked to Azichael. "Oh well, either way, now that you know you chose wrong, you can go find someone else."
"Well…Umm…"
Eyeing the floating orb as they hesitated, Brine slowly asked, "You can't, can you." Tilting his head curiously, he thought aloud, "You said you can't undo this mass protagonist death…because it was 'beyond' you…You can't undo things of your caliber and up…" He then refocused on Azichael and accused, "You already started whatever process goes into the whole 'become our champion' thing and now you're stuck with me, aren't you?"
Sounding slightly defensive, Azichael tried to say something, "It is…You see…We…"
A grin appeared on Brine's face. "Shit, you totally are!" He began to chuckle. This turned into a laugh, and then he about fell over as he held his sides and burst out laughing.
"Stop this mockery this instant!"
"Stop making this so funny this instant," Brine countered through his laughter.
Azichael quickly calmed himself. "We simply wished to expedite the process should you agree. Since you are not interested, you can refuse and-"
"I never said I wasn't interested," Brine said on his knees as he got his laughter under control. Wobbling a little as he stood back up, he added, "I just don't want to say yes only for you to change your mind later."
Azichael sounded nervous as he tried to dissuade Brine, "Many of the heroes affected by this phenomenon have the world on their shoulders. You don't seem like the type to want such a responsibility."
"Yeah, no shit," Brine barked cheerily. "But, sixty-to-seventy percent of main characters are fucking dumbasses but still get all the best shit handed to them. I can put up with their bullshit if I can have- Wait, do I have to do everything exactly as they did?"
"N-No. While preferable if you would maintain events as much as possible, how you complete the heroes' journey is not so important."
"Alright, sounds good to me. So, how's all this work?"
Though it was not visible, Azichael was sweating. Upon reviewing exactly how Brine was important in events to come, he discovered that rather than being a hero or aiding the heroes in overcoming the disasters to come, he was a conspirator.
The first of many enemies the heroes would face would be an enchanter. Needing a champion close to the heroes in their daily lives, they would use magic to twist someone into their agent. Unfortunately, this someone was Brine. Mistaking him as a close ally of the heroes, the spell was meant to corrupt and place him under their spell. However, because he was already twisted, he would not change much and was not fully placed under their control.
In Brine's own words, he would become a plot device for character development. Be it Karley learning to stand up for herself, Kim breaking free of her controlling parents, Cameron escaping his father's shadow, Billy learning to connect with people, etc. All of it comes about directly or indirectly from Brine's wicked deeds against them.
The reason Brine was determined the second most influential figure after the initial catalyst was due in part to how close a role he plays in promoting the heroes' growth. The other reason was how he maintains as a chaotic or antagonistic force even after the enchanter is stopped and new evils appear. The heroes grow and/or retire, but Brine weaves his way through each generation of hero and villain to play a notable role in every conflict.
Unleashing this person across universes is a mistake. Azichael knows it will be even worse than he was originally going to be. Oh, how he wished they had sent him to the third most influential - Thompson Oakly would have been a fine choice if a bit unsteady to begin with.
Still, unless Brine refused the request, he was powerless to do anything…
"Well…Put simply, your soul will take possession of the heroes at the moment of their death and play out events as they were intended so the heroes survive. You will then embark on their journey. To prevent any one universe from growing too unstable and maintain a certain balance of power, you will regularly move from one universe to another before returning to your own universe and then repeat the process."
"Okay, it's a looping chain with each chapter or episode being set in a different world," Brine noted. "Anything else?"
"Y-Yes," Azichael said reluctantly.
Internally, the divine servant wished he did not have to tell Brine the rest. But he relented. "No matter my hesitance, these tools are essential in the task ahead and all would be for naught if I tried to withhold them."
Sighing in defeat, Azichael began to explain, "There are two points of importance that the divine has felt requires particular intervention on our part. The first is in regard to our rescue of the catalyst that brings your world's heroes together and empowers them. Though we managed to save them, they were badly injured and as consequence, they will be weaker than they are supposed to be. They will either be unable to empower the heroes as much as needed or there will be fewer heroes to more concentrate the bestowed power. Furthermore, some heroes have powers that will be lost as a result of their death that are otherwise integral to their journey."
"Thus, we arranged for our champion to be able to gather power from the various universes he visits and use it to support the heroes in their own and help mend the deficit caused by any lost power in other worlds."
"So, I go to other worlds, replace the main character, get their powers, and have those powers follow me through each world," Brine asked for confirmation.
"Not quite," Azichael said - taking some pleasure in seeing Brine deflate in confusion. "To allow complete transfer between worlds would weaken the dimensional boundaries and further risk destabilization to where far more drastic measures would be necessary. Any changes your soul undergoes will carry over between worlds easily enough as they become a functioning part of you. However, other abilities will be more restricted. Learned abilities and skills could be said to carry over between worlds but you may need to train each vessel in their use - assuming it is possible to do so. Physical items cannot be transferred between worlds at all."
"Okay," Brine said thoughtfully. "Soul stuff is a go but otherwise I'll just have my experience. Eh, good enough. Plus, even if I don't get all the power, I can still have fun with them while i have them between worlds. I can work with that. What's the other thing?"
"The whole point of you becoming our champion is for you to maintain events and carry out the heroes' journeys so to maintain the stability of their worlds. How are you to do this if you don't know how events are to unfold? Thus, we bestow you this." A translucent screen appeared before Brine. It was entirely white with a keyboard and blinking line to begin typing. "Before you is an interface crafted by the divine to help guide you in your journey. We believe you mortals would call this a 'quest system'. Additionally, we offer to allow you to input your own desires to have the system grant your wishes as a way of compensation for what we ask of you."
Unable to contain his growing excitement at all this, Brine began shuffling his feet. However, he then stopped and looked questioningly to Azichael, "One quick question. Out of curiosity, can you tell me about the worlds I'll be going to and the people I'll be possessing?"
Though confused by Brine's request, Azichael answered, "Well, there are currently several confirmed worlds that have been twisted by the phenomenon. In one, a young nomad became frozen. He is supposed to bring balance to the world and end a one-hundred-year war. However, he fails to awaken upon being released from the ice as he is supposed to."
"A young child stumbles upon a piece of technology while on a road trip. It enables him to transform into a variety of alien species. Using these powers, he tries to live as a hero - overcoming one trial after another. However, his initial encounter with the device is much closer than it should have been - resulting in his accidental death."
"In another, a young man is supposed to awaken his latent abilities as something known as a Soul Reaper and embark on an escalating journey of conflicts that affect the very nature of life and death. However, the trigger for this of accepting the sword of an existing Soul Reaper and having them poor their powers into him kills him instead of awakens these abilities."
"Another young man is meant to be revived as a devil. Awakening latent powers within him, he becomes embroiled in underworld politics and - more importantly - mythological conflicts that escalate into an invasion of mechanical gods from another dimension. Unfortunately, this boy fails to activate the summoning circle in time to summon the devil who would revive him."
"A man used as a pawn to nearly bring about apocalypse sets out to absolve the souls of those corrupted by his unwitting actions. He is joined by angels and allies as he sets out to save the city, find out who's behind this, and stop them from completing what they have started in opening a gateway into the infernal. However, the initial 'damnation bomb' that instigates the events results in his death rather than severe injury as it initially did."
"A young man is supposed to be transported to another world. Initially, it seems to be an easy life as an adventurer and dungeon explorer, but events gradually escalate to the point of his needing to challenge gods and demons alike. The phenomenon will interfere in his transport and he perishes."
"For one, a supernatural game emerges in the world that unknowingly serves as a precursor to the world's invasion. Part of this game involves a Subspace dimension where it takes place. When accessing this Subspace, a piece of the individual's consciousness enters it while the rest remains with their body. However, upon gaining entry to the Subspace, the hero of this world fails to properly enter it. Though the hero is technically fine, it is his involvement in the subspace that leads to the resolution of the conflicts to come. You will be replacing his 'other self'."
"In another world, a man perishes but finds his soul having been transported into a vessel of another world. Effectively reborn as a skeleton, he begins a journey for companionship and peace that leads to the creation of his own kingdom and rise as a demon lord. Similarly to the previous world, this individual's soul fails to transfer and you will be possessing the vessel instead."
"A world of heroes and villains, a young boy without power aspires to be a hero and begins a journey to become the greatest with the aid of the then Number One Hero after passing his power onto him. Unfortunately, in the initial encounter with a villain where he first meets his would-be mentor, he is unable to hold out as long and suffocates."
"Another world of pirates and traveling by sea. A young man with a body of rubber begins his journey to be a pirate and have adventure. He will inadvertently shake the whole world and expose great evils - becoming an unrivaled or legendary hero. Unfortunately, shortly after his journey begins, his boat is swallowed by a whirlpool. Where he originally survives this, events have been twisted so he drowns."
"In a world of monsters, young children embark on journeys to tame and train these monsters to help them grow stronger as well as become their power. However, shortly after beginning his journey, the chosen one of this world has an unfortunate encounter. Where he initially makes it through this encounter relatively unscathed, here he perishes."
"And finally, a young man who tries to become a Huntsman. He is an integral member of the heroes' team in bringing down a millennia old evil. Unfortunately, he inadvertently perishes during the Initiation to join a school for training Huntsman."
Brine looked on blankly for a moment after hearing of each world and the 'heroes' he would be possessing. Eventually he said, "Aang the avatar, Ben Tennyson, Ichigo Kurosaki, Issei Hyoudou, Nick Starling, an isekai, Dakota Thompson, another isekai, Izuku Midoriya, Monkey D. Luffy, Ash Ketchum, and Jaune Arc."
"H-How do you know this!?"
"Because, in my free time, I'm a nerd. I've read enough fanfiction to suspect something like this, but you really need to do a better job of checking this stuff. Like whether the worlds you plan to send me to exist as some kinda media series in my world."
Azichael made various noises that suggested embarrassment and shock.
Leaving the divine entity to wallow in disbelief, Brine focused on the screen before him. "So, if I'm these are the worlds I'm going to…what I want is…" He put his hands to the screen and began typing out his desires. Seeing just how far he could take this, he spends several minutes typing - to Azichael's growing concern - before hitting the button on the screen to finish. He watched as a spinning wheel appeared on the screen to indicate it was buffering.
"What exactly did you input," Azichael asked nervously. The divine being had come to dislike Brine and view him as an unpredictable wildcard. The divine expected the chosen champion to input something simple such as money, specific items, power, etc.; nothing too extreme. However, he did not trust that Brine would find some way to turn this divine gift into a dangerous tool. However, his resignation to whatever would happen also caused him to develop a sense of morbid curiosity toward the outcome.
Eventually the screen stopped buffering and a new one appeared that read:
In accordance with your request, a separate system will be generated for each universe to be applied to the following universe your soul travels to. The systems will be derived from your requests of 'mind control', 'attribute allocation', 'invisibility', 'reality manipulation', 'time stop', 'power bestowal', 'enslavement mark', 'physical transformation', etc.
"Just what is this," Azichael asked as the screen vanished.
"Honestly, near random nonsense," Brine replied. "Faced with so many possibilities and a few unknowns, I decided to go with the option of self-indulgent, wish-fulfillment. Listed a bunch of stuff I thought would be fun, cool, or I just want; asked for each world to have its own system, and let the thing fill in the blanks."
Azichael felt an odd mix of being dumbfounded and impressed. He had known an individual like Brine would do something unexpected, but this seemed to be something else. "Do you not think such inconsistencies would hinder your progress? Your first venture into each world will be accompanied by an unknown system, and the worlds you travel to have no set order so there will be no knowing what you will be facing next from one world unto the next."
Brine shrugged. "Meh. Isn't not knowing what's going on the point of a quest system. Besides, this will make things a little more interesting. I don't want to fall into some monotonous routine. This seemed sounds fun."
Brine then turned to Azichael. "So, what now?"
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