The landscape before Shawn stretched endlessly, so surreal that for a long, breathless moment, he wondered if he was still dreaming. It looked like something torn from the pages of an extravagant fantasy novel — the kind written to make even reality blush in shame. Crystal rivers wove through the land like living glass, gleaming with rippling hues of rainbow light that danced over their surfaces.
Forests sprawled beyond them, every leaf glimmering as though it hoarded a fragment of starlight, each tree humming softly with ancient vitality. Farther off, mountains floated serenely in the sky, their roots hidden in clouds of gold mist, and at their summits burned crowns of eternal flame that refused to dim no matter how the light shifted. The air itself shimmered with gentle luminescence, fragrant with something that smelled faintly of rain and honey.
It was beautiful — so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at.
"Wow…" Shawn breathed, his voice barely more than a whisper as he turned in a slow, awed circle. "This place is… incredible." His eyes were wide and bright, filled with the kind of unfiltered wonder only a child could manage. "I didn't think reincarnation would look like this."
For a while he just stood there, spinning slowly as he tried to take in every impossible detail, but then his thoughts began tumbling from his mouth in a rapid cascade.
"To be honest, the soul realm was starting to get boring. Like, painfully boring. If I had to float around there for another day, I probably would've started talking to myself — again. But this?" He gestured around him in excitement. "This feels like a dream! No, a fairy tale! Actually, wait—" he paused dramatically, squinting at the shimmering horizon, "—if I'm going to reincarnate into this kind of world, then please, please tell me I'm going to be a fairy king or something. I don't want to suffer. I've had enough of that for one lifetime."
His words came faster, enthusiasm bubbling over. "And don't tell me this world's still stuck in the stone age either. I am not inventing fire again. That's not my duty, okay? At least let there be some kind of magic, or energy, or cool abilities — something that'll help me live long, get rich, maybe do a little research, build some tech, you know? Oh, and of course, I'll need to be strong. Because if there's one thing every world seems to have in common, it's that nobody respects the weak. You can't even make decent transactions without a little muscle these days. This isn't asking too much, right?"
Feela floated lazily a few feet away, her body half-reclined in midair as if gravity were beneath her notice. Her violet eyes, glowing faintly like gemstones in twilight, regarded Shawn with languid disinterest. She yawned, stretching slightly, her ethereal hair drifting like strands of silk through the glowing air.
"You done?" she asked flatly, her voice carrying the tone of someone forced to listen to a child's overlong monologue.
Shawn blinked, pausing mid-ramble. "…Maybe."
"Good." Feela's lips curved into something halfway between amusement and disdain. "Then let me crush your little daydreams before they get any taller." She drifted closer, her eyes narrowing slightly. "First of all, this isn't where you'll be reincarnated. This," she gestured lazily at the breathtaking world around them, "is just one of my homes. A vacation spot, if you will. Second…" she tilted her head, her expression turning wry, "you're asking for far too much. Fairy king? Rich? Strong? Immortal? Do I look like a wish-granting lamp spirit to you?"
Shawn's shoulders slumped. "But—"
"And lastly," she interrupted, her smirk sharpening, "you really are a child. Oh right," she added, tapping a finger to her chin, "you did die at twelve, didn't you? I keep forgetting." Her tone softened for the briefest instant — or maybe that was just mock sympathy. "Don't worry, though. I'll put you somewhere good. Somewhere… interesting."
Shawn squinted suspiciously. "Why me, though? Out of all the souls floating around in the soul realm, why pick mine?"
Feela shrugged, the motion lazy but elegant. "You're not the first, and you won't be the last." She stretched her arms above her head with a catlike sigh. "I do this to pass the time. My husband thought he could escape my nagging, so I need… entertainment. A soul with a little spark, a bit of curiosity. You'll do."
Her expression suddenly soured. "Tch. That coward's hiding from me again." She folded her arms and glanced skyward, irritation flickering in her eyes. "He'll regret it when I catch him. I always do."
Shawn raised a tentative hand. "Uh, can we maybe speed this up? I'd like to reincarnate now, please. No offense, but I'm kind of in a hurry."
Feela's eyes snapped back to him, her lips curling in exaggerated mock outrage. "Oh? Am I that ugly you can't stand to look at me any longer?" She leaned forward, closing the space between them, and in that instant her beauty became overwhelming — radiant, dangerous, almost divine. The air itself seemed to pulse with her presence.
But Shawn didn't flinch. "It's not that," he said quickly, his voice careful but honest. "You're… well, you're too old for me. I'm too young to marry anyway. And besides—" he coughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "you have a husband. I'd rather not get killed by him. I'd like to start my next life with my head still attached, thanks."
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them. Feela's smile froze, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Then her expression twisted — still a smile, but no longer gentle. It was sharp, amused in a way that promised disaster. She looked at Shawn the way a predator studies something small, naïve, and edible.
"Too old…?" Her voice dropped, smooth as velvet and twice as cold. "You little brat."
Shawn's instincts screamed at him. Every nerve in his body lit up in warning. But before he could move, before he could even think of an apology, she snapped her fingers.
"I'm bored of this conversation," she said lightly. "And since you called me old, here's a little gift."
The air around him folded, shimmering like glass under heat. The world blurred, twisting, and then — with a sound like a sigh — Shawn was gone.
Vanished.
Cast out into the unknown by the fleeting whim of a goddess who had grown momentarily annoyed.
And as the last ripple of his existence faded from her world, Feela chuckled softly to herself, violet eyes glinting with amusement. "Let's see how you survive you little brat."