'What the hell? Where is this place?"
A man grunted as he forced himself up. He knew not where he was. He couldn't tell how he got here. Any attempt to retrieve any memory was futile for him.
He stood up and looked around.
He remained calm even when he couldn't recognise the surroundings.
"What is this place? Anybody out there!?" He called out as loud as he could.
His voice was followed by an echo. The space or whatever this was, was massive. More vast than he could see or ever imagine.
"I apologise for that. Please... calm yourself." A feminine voice called out to him from behind.
When he turned to look, a woman was there. Radiant white hair, looking silky smooth. A blue elaborate dress that looked unbelievably alluring.
She crossed her legs on her throne and a confident yet friendly smile was on her face. A calm aura surrounded her. And she simply oozed of divinity.
The man froze in place for a moment. But realised the woman was no threat.
"Please, be at ease. And, approach me. We can't talk well with you standing so far." She said, gesturing for him to get closer.
The man walked over and stood before the woman. He couldn't help but be a little wary. With a wave of curiosity in him.
"Who are you? What am I doing here? And how did I get here?" The man asked. The woman chuckled lightly in amusement.
"I am somewhat impressed by you, Oliver. Right now at least." The woman said, looking at the man closer.
For a moment, the man couldn't follow. But realised 'OLIVER' was him. He pointed at himself and the woman tilted her head slightly.
"You are Oliver. Or rather, Semboku Senji. And I am the Goddess. You need not to know my name. You can't pronounce it anyway." She said looking closer at Oliver.
"I can't... recall." The man said to the Goddess.
"Oh? I see. It must be his handy work then. But anyway, we're not here to speak of him." The Goddess said, shrugging off the matter.
"Anyway, this space is a lower realm imitation of the heavenly realm. It is placed between the universe of the living, and the meta-plane." She locked eyes with Oliver as she explained.
"How did you get here? I brought you here because of a special alteration done to your soul by the one who killed you. Why are you here? I need your help. And of course the choice is yours." She stated simply, answering the man's questions.
"What do you want my help with? You said you are a Deity. Meaning your power is basically limitless. I don't see how someone like me could help." Oliver responded, a little confused.
The Goddess looked at him as though analysing him. After a few moments of silence, she finally answered.
"You seem to have lost your memories. What is one thing you can recall?" She asked curiously.
Oliver delved deep into his mind but as hard as he could try, nothing surfaced. Nothing bit one name that was etched in his very soul.
"Ryuga Xicor.." Oliver uttered.
The Goddess herself fell silent for a moment. The name seemed to have awoken something in her too.
"Your soul has been altered in a way that if it goes to hell, you will suffer more than any being is ever permitted to. Of course, I can take pity on you and directly reincarnate you. But you will not be happy without a purpose." The Goddess said without looking the man in the eye.
She clearly wanted to avoid the man's gaze. Or to avoid any questions he might have.
"So how can I undo it? And why did my soul get altered?" Oliver asked in confusion.
"Repeated reincarnation can weaken and break the curse. And the job I need done requires someone with your predicament. If you're lucky, you might be redeemed of your sins when this work is complete." The Goddess said to Oliver.
"What is the job?" Oliver was again struck by curiosity.
"You will be a herald of the Gods. Your job is to travel the vast multiverse, saving my worlds from darkness that lucks within them by utterly vanquishing it. Can I trust you are up to the task?" The Goddess said to him.
"Can I be guaranteed that this alteration will vanish when all this is done?" He asked again, just to be safe.
"Yes. The alteration will definitely be affected. Now then, can you complete the tasks ahead of you?" She asked, getting up from her throne.
"Yes I can. I just need a few thing though." Oliver said to her.
"You can state what you desire mostly. You have three picks from this.." she waved her hand and an entire wall of screens opened up.
It was a whole lot of abilities, weapons and special possessions. Oliver walked closer as je analysed everything on it.
"Choose, and the gods shall provide. The Gods do afterll, help those who help themselves." The Goddess said to the man.
She tapped Oliver on the shoulder and held his shoulder calmly.
.....
System Online and Perfectly Compattible.
Name of host: Oliver [host may change it]
Age: ////// [Host has too many lives]
Abilities: 0 [Yet To be gained. Unable to operate for now]
Overallstats: 0 [speed, Strength, Intelligence, Energy, agility, others]
...
The window popped before Oliver and he was held in a daze for a moment.
"What is this?" He wondered to himself.
"It's called a system. And that one is born specifically for you. It's our way of helping you grow faster." The Goddess walked over to throne and sat down comfortably.
Unyielding, Oliver walked over and selected three abilities that should most definitely help in his journeys.
"I am done. Are there formalities to then?" Oliver asked the Goddess.
"No there is not. You may get started on your quest. And if at all possible, try to avoid dying. I can't assure you of what will happen if you die." She scared him with a smile.