In a place between time and space...
A lone creature sits on a throne made of countless fractal images, each one showing people living their lives in a flash. The entity is cloaked in a massive hood that hides its form, and its size feels unimaginable, perhaps as large as the universe itself.
The monolith shifts. It speaks in a deep, echoing voice to no one in particular.
"It seems the circle of fate has come to another end… Though this may be the end, it is also a new beginning."
The being extends its hands from its cloak. They are dark grey and spindly, the nails sharp and black.
"A person of no importance shall inherit the weight of a new world. Whether they choose to help this world or abandon it will be their prerogative."
The hand moves, slicing through reality itself, disappearing into thin air.
"Fate shall guide my hand…"
On Earth...
I'm cursed. That's what I've been told my entire life.
I was the product of an accident. The man who was supposedly my father ran away the moment he heard the news. Honestly, that was probably the best choice he ever made.
When I came into this world, I was apparently stillborn and was pronounced dead for a while, until I suddenly started breathing. After several examinations, the doctor told my mom that I had weak lungs and a weak heart. He said I would most likely have a hard life.
My mom decided to raise me alone.
It soon became painfully clear that I wasn't a healthy child. It took me three years just to walk. Eventually, I learned how to run, but only for a few seconds at a time before I'd run out of breath. My heart couldn't take it either.
I was tiny and fragile compared to everyone my age. In kindergarten, most kids thought I belonged in preschool because of how underdeveloped I looked. It wasn't my mom's fault. I simply couldn't eat normally. I threw up most of what I managed to swallow.
I was bullied throughout my younger years.But there was one silver lining, I was more intelligent than most.
I learned to talk at one. My memory was sharp. I learned concepts quickly and always got A's in school.
But intelligence doesn't matter nearly as much as physical ability.
Even though I was picked on constantly, I still managed to make some friends with similar interests. I was always a martial arts geek. I learned techniques the best I could, but my body limited me. I found fighting fascinating the footwork, the rhythm, the strategy, all the little details.
Still, it remained a hobby.
After graduating high school, I went to university for computer science. I excelled. I graduated with high honors and got a work from home job, all while taking care of my mom, who had always tried her best for me.
I even met a girl someone who somehow found me attractive. Even at twenty two, I was only 5'0" and weighed no more than a buck ten soaking wet. Despite all that, she loved me. And I loved her.
That's when it happened.
I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
Chronic.Fatal.Severe.
Say it however you want, the truth stayed the same.I was going to die in three months.
I had almost forgottenThis is an unfair world.
Whenever something good happens to me, something equally bad must follow.
How cruel.
Why?Why me?Why was I born like this?
As I lay on my hospital bed, with my mom and my lover beside me, a tear slides down my face.
Maybe in my next life, I won't be so cursed.
Please… whatever god is out there. Show me mercy.
I hold their hands and whisper, "Goodbye, and thank you."
Flatline.
"Rowan, please don't leave me! Please!" my lover weeps."Rowan… Rowan… my sweet boy…" my mom sobs over her lost son.
I find myself outside my body.Perhaps I'm a ghost.I don't know.I don't care.
I just want a fresh start.One without a cursed body.One with an even playing field.
Maybe even a little talent this time.That'd be nice.
My consciousness begins to slip.I'm pulled upward into the atmosphere by some force. Thousands of souls drift alongside me toward an unknown place.
A lightMaybe the light.The one everyone talks about.
Well. Let's see what it holds.
Just as I let go and accept what's coming, a spindly grey hand with sharp black nails appears from nowhere. It snatches me in its talons and drags me somewhere else.
What is happening?
Everything goes black.
In a place between time and space...
Between the entity's massive nails floats a faceless soul, dark red and vaguely human-shaped.
"Mmm… a human born cursed yet blessed with talent," the entity says. "It seems he did not cherish what he was given. Perhaps, in this soul's next life, it shall appreciate the gift it will be blessed with…"
The entity swipes its hand through the air. Scenes flash around itA man with golden hair fighting a purple alien.A young man with black hair and an X shaped scar on his chest, smiling brightly.A man with orange hair wielding a slim sword.Countless more scenes in an instant.
"Once again, fate shall decide…"
The entity pinches an image from the chaosA boy in an orange jumpsuit with blonde hair and blue eyes, happily eating ramen.
The entity sits back on its throne, indifferent.It lets the image float near it, then draws the soul closer.
"It was unfair for me to pull you from your cycle of reincarnation," it says. "Therefore, I shall grant you a boon of legendary quality. It would take one million years for someone with this talent to be born in this world. Be grateful."
The entity reaches into the malleable armrests of its throne and pulls out a golden light. It thrusts the light into the soul.
"You have been granted the Boon of Infinite Potential. If you nurture it, you will become unrivaled. If you allow it to wilt, you will perish."
It pauses.
"You have been granted this boon, but this is an equal universe. You will also be penalized with a curse. Fate will choose this as well."
The entity flicks its hand. A dark miasma seeps from the floating image of the ramen eating boy.
"Interesting…"
It throws the miasma into the soul.
"You have been cursed with the inability to utilize ninjutsu. A fitting curse in equal standing with your boon. I wish you luck. May the endless possibilities be forever in your favor…"
With that, the entity grabs the soul and hurls it into the floating image.Both the image and the soul vanish.
The entity settles back into its throne.
"I wonder what possibilities will unfold now…"