My Second Life is a Quest!?

[Yuki no Yue]

[You Are Dead]​

I was catatonic. Not because I was in shock - ok, I was a little bit in shock - or because I was dead - well, that was just a lie - or because of how I had died - that had been the least surprising things of all - but because I had a game-like screen floating in front of my face, like the start of a very strange, very creepy, videogame.

Also, I didn't have a body anymore. That was, perhaps, the strangest thing. Mostly because I still felt like myself, but also... Well. Lighter. Which, yeah, it was obvious: I was a soul without a body, just floating there, in the White.

I called it White, because it was that: an endless White space, with no corners, no depth, no shading, nothing. It had the exactly same color of a blank page and it had no end that I could see. I think I had moved around, but I couldn't be sure, because, well... no depth. Also, I was a soul. As I had said before.

Ugh.

[You Are Dead]
[An Entity has decided to sponsor you]
[Do you wish to be reborn, Alexander?]​

...what?

"Reborn - wait, I can talk." I... well, I didn't blink, (no eyes. No body, really.) but I did the equivalent of it in soul form. "No, wait a moment. What Entity? And reborn where? I need details." I was... not frantic, but almost. Scared, that's obvious.

[The Entity is a neutral party]
[But they won't reveal their name or their alignent or their affiliation]
[Where you will be reborn is a surprise]
[In exchange for this, you will be compensated with the following boons]
[1) A new, healthy body, of the gender that matches your soul-form, adjusted to your destination]
[2) A power you have desired for a long, long time]​

My thoughts stalled. Like a high-pitched whine in my non-existent ears, like static filling my head.

I knew what the screens were dangling in front of me. I knew it. I had exactly one thing that I had desired for almost my entire life. My sadly mundane, boring, life.

Magic.

It was a cruel trick to play. I was already dead. I didn't know where I would end. It was entirely possible that I would be sent somewhere where death wasn't the worst thing that could happen. I didn't even know what kind of magic this mysterious Entity was planning to give me. It could be something dumb, or worthless, or just plain humiliating, or...

...or it could be the magic I wanted. The magic that I had always wanted.

The main question was if I had the bravery to take the offer... or not.

"If I refuse... what will happen to me?" I had to ask. Because... I needed to know.

[You will be sent forward, to whatever happens to human souls from your Earth]​

Curt. Almost dismissive. And to the point. It hadn't tried to threaten me into accepting the offer, or scare me with consequences. It was... almost clinical. Or maybe 'detached' was another word for it. And maybe I was trying to distract myself from the offer that had been presented to me, because I was incredibly scared and I didn't want to have to choose. I had always thought that, once I died, that would be it.

Instead, I was in front of this... Situation.

"There's... anything else that I can know? Anything?" I asked the screen, trying to find some more information. Anything.

[You will be inserted in the new world at a suitable age for your situation]​

That gave me nothing. Well, basically nothing. What did 'suitable' mean, in this context? Presumably, suitable to whatever the Entity wanted: be it an agent, entertainment, something else...

I wanted to sigh. To cry. To take a deep breath to calm myself. But I couldn't, because I didn't have a body: I was my soul, and my soul was me, and I...

"I accept."

My greed/hope/desperation/fantasy/longing/wish had got the better of me. And I was hoping that it wasn't a massive mistake.

[The Entity is pleased]
[Now, you have to design your body]
[For expediency, design it as if you had just reached maturity, as a human acknowledge it]

Well, that wasn't what I thought it was going to happen. Especially now with how it had been worded. What did it mean with 'maturity, as a human acknowledge it'? Eighteen years old? Twenty-one years old? Twenty-five?

Probably better assume that it meant twenty-one: it was a middle point between the other two, and I was starting to feel like I was going to get a headache. Which shouldn't be possible, considering I didn't have a head or a body right now. Still...

"Long hair. Black. Slender, like a swimmer. Pale skin. Average height." I started to list, thinking. "Uh... a bit androgynous. Good looking." And I stopped there. I couldn't think of anything else. And I also realized that what I was saying would only make sense from a human's perspective: average height for who? Pale skin for what place on Earth? And...

Before my thoughts could spiral much more, another window appeared near the first one, this time showing an image.

Spoiler: Current Body - Temporary

"Oh... That's... that's good, yes." I was surprised. It was almost exactly as I would have wanted to look when I was alive. Not... that it mattered, right now.

(No, I wasn't trans, if anyone was wondering. I was - and still am, I think - gay, though.)

[Body-Temporary has been recorded as preferred]​

Ah, of course. It had said something about the body being adjusted to the destination. Best I could ask, I guess, especially in this situation.

[Boon allocation has begun.]​

What?

Then, the screen grew, and the words started jumbling together, as if it was glitching and shifting. They changed font, and size, and color, and... It hurt to look at. But I still couldn't look away. Because this... was going to be my magic.

Author Note: This is an experimental quest, where you all are going to vote not on what Alexander does, but on what happens around him. Basically, you're going to decide what situations, enemies, opportunities, obstacles, etc. And this is the very first vote for this: what kind of magic Alex get.
I'm going to present three options underneath, as examples. You can, and are STRONGLY encouraged to, create new options. The ONLY veto about the option is that it can't be something like 'body reinforcement' or similar. Nothing that would make Alex a physical fighter: it must be mainly external magic. (Shapeshifting and similar is allowed, but not as the only form of magic.)

[] Color Magic. A strange and chaotic sort of magic, that works by using a Word and a Color together (ex: Fire Red, Bird Red, Sapphire Blue, and similar) to cause effects. This is the most 'Audience-Heavy' option, as ever combination will prompt a vote to let you decide what it manifest. Once a combination of words has been created, though, it's fixed.

[] Symbol Magic. The classic magic that appears in fantasy stories. Magical circles and symbols, it takes a lot of information from medieval alchemy, pop culture, wiccan, etc. Span a lot of fields, like potion-making, enchantment, etc. This is the least 'Audience-Heavy' option, as almost all combinations will be decided by me, barring a specific intervention from a vote.

[] Concept Magic: A strange magic that is based on observing the world around and obtaining concepts to use in spells. Observing a bird could grant wings, flight, or the ability to create sounds. A rock could grant stability, or impacts. A sea the concept of water. This is the middle ground between the two other options, as the Audience would choose what kind of concept Alex will get from his observation.

[] Write In. Please keep the format above, and specify the amount of influene the Audience - you all, the voters - have on the magic. The more details you add, the better. Please.

Now, second vote: where is Alex going to end up? You can choose any franchise, even those that I don't know. Wikis exist, and I'm not above asking you all if I'm wrong about something. As before, these are just possibility, and the Audience is welcome, and encouraged, in choosing their favorite franchise. Please add the 'When' and 'Where' in the franchise Alex is going to appear.

[] Cyberpunk 2077 - Start of Videogame, V's apartment
[] Dragon Ball Z - When Goku meet the Hermit Turtle, random town
[] Game of Thrones - Before Robert's visit to Stark, Castle Stark
[] Write In - Add when and where, please

Third and last vote for this start: At what Age is Alex appearing?
[] 12 years old
[] 14 yeast old
[] 16 years old
[] 18 years old
[] Write In. Lowest I'm willing to acccept is 12

Hope you'll like this quest. As usual, I'm not going to write torture porn, grimdark, or similar. For those that are worried about the whole 'being gay' thing, I'm not planning on adding any NSFW parts, unless you all push for that. Even then, this quest isn't in the NSFW section for a reason.
Look, just be decent people, and have fun. That's all I'm asking.

 

[Yuki no Yue]

Reserved for later.

 

[zangetsu101]

[X] Concept Magic
[X] Game of Thrones
[X] 14 yeast old
By experiencing and studying the world, Alex is going to be compelled to engage with the world while gaining power.

 

[Vulcan92]

[X] Concept Magic
[X] Game of Thrones
[X] 14 yeast old