"Have we decided on a name yet?" Asked the broad-shouldered man.
"Yes! Her name will be Brunhilda. Our sweet little Brunhilda!"
The broad-shouldered man smiled at his wife's response, crossing his arms like a prideful father.
"Brunhilda, eh? Like the Valkyrie from Völsunga saga? I like it!" He said, nodding his head.
"Mhm." The mother nodded, cradling her baby daughter. "Welcome to the Blackwood family, Brunhilda."
Brunhilda curled her small hand around her mother's finger.
[So this is it... I've been reincarnated. Jill Remington is officially dead, and now I'm Brunhilda Blackwood. Honestly... Brunhilda's kind of a badass name. Way better than Jill.]
Her father leaned closer as his laugh shook her little ears.
"She's got my grip already! Look at that! Strong as an ox!"
[Strong? Dude, I can't even lift my own head without it flopping like a bobblehead. Calm down.]
The mother giggled, sliding soft strands of hair from her sweaty forehead.
"Don't be silly. She's just a baby."
"She's our baby!"
The couple shared a quiet moment, gazing down at her with such love it made Jill—no, Brunhilda—squirm inside.
[Ugh... they're looking at me like I'm the cutest thing in the world. I mean... I guess I am adorable, but this is embarrassing.]
Her tiny body let out a squeaky cry before she could stop it.
The parents laughed as the father reached over to ruffle her nearly nonexistent hair.
"Already talking back, huh?" He teased.
The mother rocked her gently, humming a lullaby.
Brunhilda's eyelids grew heavy against her will.
[Wait—no, don't make me fall asleep! I was just getting used to this new life! I need to figure out where I am, what kind of world this is, if there's magic, if there's... polyamorous relationships for harems... if there's...]
Her thoughts trailed off as sleep overtook her new body—the sound of her mother's song carrying her into her first dream in this strange, unfamiliar world.
"Crap, I couldn't stop it—wait, where the heck am I now? Is this a lucid dream?" Floating in the middle of a white void, Brunhilda looked around her, utterly baffled.
"Greetings, Jill, or should I say, Brunhilda?"
A voice echoed through the endless void like it could bend reality with a single syllable.
Brunhilda blinked in confusion until she connected the dots.
[Oh great, it's the God again. Can't even let me nap in peace, huh?]
"Oh, it's you again."
Her voice carried in the void, despite her body being... well, technically a baby burrito back in reality.
The figure appeared this time—not as a blinding light, but as a vague silhouette.
They were tall, radiant, and neither man nor woman, but something in between.
"You adjusted quickly." The God chuckled. "Most reincarnated souls wander in confusion, but you grasp the situation immediately."
"That's what happens when your main hobby is binge-reading isekai manga instead of making friends."
"So..." The God's tone shifted. "I've called you here again because it would be unfair to throw you into that world without a chance to defend yourself. You may choose a gift, or rather a skill of your liking. Consider it... compensation."
Brunhilda immediately froze.
"Wait... this is literally the part in every isekai where the protagonist gets some ridiculously broken cheat skill! Am I seriously getting my pick? Like... menu open, browse the skill shop, pick whatever?!"
"Indeed." The God replied, answering the thought before she could say it. "Name it, and I shall bestow it upon you."
Her heart raced—well, her soul's heart? Whatever, this was it. Her golden ticket!
[Okay, Jill. Don't screw this up. Every isekai protagonist has that one OP ability that defines their whole story. Instant death? Too edgy. Infinite magic? Too basic. Absorption abilities? ...Tempting, but no. I need something unique. Something me.]
She tapped her chin, floating weightlessly in the void.
"...Do I get, like, infinite rerolls?" She asked cautiously.
The God gave a patient smile.
"No rerolls. One choice, permanent. Choose wisely."
Brunhilda gulped, scratching her head.
[Well, crap.]
"This world is quite unique, or at least, to other people who aren't isekai fans like yourself."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Asked Brunhilda, tilting her head.
"It's a world I created a long time ago, but it functions like a video game in some aspects."
"Aha!" Jill pointed her finger. "So it does have the leveling system cliche!"
"Yes." Nodded the radiant figure. "I made it that way for others to understand their position in the world much easier. Everyone here is born with something known as Soul Points, with Soul Points, or SP, you can unlock what is known as skills."
"Skills, huh? Color me surprised."
The God nodded amusingly.
"A skill is an ability learned by spending Soul Points in one's Grimoire. You'll receive a Grimoire soon after the world declares you worthy."
"When will that happen?" Asked Jill.
"You'll see soon enough." Said the figure. "But what's important right now is choosing an ability of your choice."
Brunhilda crossed her arms—or, well, the soul version of them.
[Okay, Jill, think. This is literally the skill shop tutorial. There is one chance, and no rerolls. If I pick something dumb, I'll regret it for the next eighty years.]
"So, uh..." She spoke carefully. "How broken are we talking here? Like... can I ask for, say, the ability to delete people with a thought? Or are we sticking to, like, 'slightly better sword swing' level stuff?"
The God's silhouette glowed brighter for a moment, almost as if laughing.
"You may ask for what you desire. But remember—balance exists. A gift too overwhelming may come with... consequences."
[Ugh, there's always fine print. I knew it. Can't just hand me the 'Erase Anything Forever' button!]
Brunhilda rubbed the back of her head.
"Okay, but I need some parameters. Everyone in this world gets Soul Points, Grimoires, Magic, and skills, right? So... what if my cheat lets me break that system somehow?"
The figure leaned closer, narrowing their radiant eyes with amusement.
"Clever girl."
Her chest puffed a little with pride.
[Ha! Take that, past-life loser Jill. Anime binges are finally paying off!]
"Still..." Brunhilda mumbled, "I don't want something boring like infinite mana. That's like... chapter one newbie mistake. No, I want something unique. Something no one else has."
She clenched her fist dramatically.
"Give me..."
The God raised a hand as light flared around it.
"The Ability to choose my own destiny."
"...The ability to choose your own destiny, you say?"
Brunhilda nodded fiercely.
"That's right! Everyone else can have their fancy magic beams and dragon-slaying swords. I want the ultimate power—freedom. I don't want any plot armor nonsense, no railroaded story arcs where I'm forced to save the world or die trying. I want to tell fate to screw off when it tries to shove me into a corner! I've always hated feeling trapped by fate since it made me a loser, but this time, I want to create my own!"
The figure's expression softened, almost... proud.
"A rare answer. Most beg for strength, immortality, or indulgence. But you..." They extended their hand, and an ethereal flame drifted toward Brunhilda's chest. "You ask to break chains. To break you from the binds of fate, that I created. To make Fate Value irrelevant."
"Huh? Fate Value?"
Brunhilda suddenly gasped as the flame sank into her chest, giving off a strange warmth that surged through her very soul.
It was like a knot she hadn't even realized was there that finally came undone.
"What... was that?"
"Your gift." The God intoned. "A Divine Skill known as Fatebreaker. You no longer have the Red Thread of Fate, as it has been cut from your very soul. Now the fate I've bestowed upon you is removed, and the inevitable shall not bind you any longer."
Brunhilda's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"...Holy crap. Are you serious? Just like that?"
"Indeed." She said.
"YES! Oh man, this is perfect! Past-life Jill would've loved this—no more being stuck with crappy RNG or bad endings. It's like... having a skip button for destiny itself!"
"Do not get too excited, Brunhilda, there are limitations as you may know."
"Oh, right." She said, crossing her arms. "What exactly is it?"
"I created the Red Thread of Fate for all living beings as it allows me to see their destiny, and craft it to my will... but with yours gone, I'll be unable to see into your future and influence your life." The God lowered their head, as if worried. "Knowing this information, you may either cause the world's downfall, or perhaps unite it. Or you may run into an unfortunate situation, or become the luckiest person in the world. Not even I know anymore."
Brunhilda stared for a long time, though unshaken.
Needless to say, she felt the weight of what she'd chosen.
This wasn't just an OP cheat code; it was something deeper, and she had ripped herself out of the tapestry of destiny itself.
"So... no roadmap, story rails, or save files. Just me, free-falling into the unknown?"
And then, just as quickly, she grinned.
"...Good."
The God raised their head slowly as their radiant eyes narrowed as if to study her resolve.
"Good?"
"Yeah." She nodded firmly. "I spent my whole last life feeling like a background character in someone else's story! Trapped in routines, in failure, and in mediocrity. But this time around? I'd rather carve my own path, even if it ends with me face-planting into the abyss! At least then it'll be my face-plant."
From her words, there was silence until the divine entity let out a low hum that was almost approval.
"...So be it."
Their radiant hand swept outward, and the void trembled with red threads of light.
Some were taut and straight, others tangled and frayed, weaving infinitely into unseen worlds.
But as Brunhilda looked, she realized something; her soul was no longer tied to any of them.
Where every other thread glowed with divine connection, hers ended abruptly, dangling free like a cut cord.
"You are unbound." The God said. "Without the Red Thread, no prophecy may dictate to you. No deity may compel you. You walk a path of uncertainty—and that is both your curse, and your blessing!"
Brunhilda's grin only widened.
"Hell yeah. Curse, blessing, whatever—you're basically saying I'm the one person in this world who can say 'no u' to destiny itself!]
But then, the God's form diminished as their voice lowered into something almost mournful.
"Remember this, Brunhilda Blackwood. Fate is not merely chains—it is also guidance. It is what spares mortals from being lost in infinite choices. Without it, you may stand alone, even when surrounded by others."
For the first time in their conversation, a sign of unease touched her face.
[Alone... huh?]
But she clenched her soul-fist again.
"I'll take that risk. Better alone on my own terms than safe on someone else's leash!"
The God's smile returned, almost enigmatic.
"Spoken like a true protagonist."
"Hey, now you're being meta!"
The void around her began to dissolve, pulling her back toward her newborn body again, and outside of her dream.
"Walk carefully, Fatebreaker. For the moment you deny destiny, destiny will deny you in turn."
Everything flashed before her eyes, and she awoke in her crib.