New Opportunity

“Aaah… what happened? I’m confused, am I in pain?… or is it like a numb sensation? Where am I?"

I was stabbed… it doesn’t look like I have any injuries… but I have marks in my abdomen… I’m breathing… It seems like I’m in a prominent white place… I don’t see an end in front of me. I’m feeling agitated. I don’t understand.” I said, standing up, checking my body. 

Suddenly, I hear indistinguishable sounds from behind me. But I can understand the voice. It is saying, “Don’t be afraid.” My heart almost stopped at the sound of the voice. I stumbled and fell on my knees. I immediately look back to find a group of people sitting on their knees, faces down, surrounded by a short sofa, a small table, and a cup of black tea.

The people were wearing white robes, and a light, like dust, surrounded them. Some of them had wings on their backs, while others had horns on their heads or tails coming out of their lower backs.

Again, I hear undistinguishable sounds whispering out loud, but I understand the voice saying, “Take a seat and drink.” I obeyed the voice and crawled to the sofa, where I sat. 

"Drink," said the voice. While I was drinking the tea, all anxiety disappeared, and I felt warm and relaxed in their presence. The black tea was soft and lightly sweetened. However, who is speaking with me? Is it someone who is on their knees, and I can't see their face?

For some reason, I feel embarrassed in their presence. I have my clothes on, I can move freely, but I feel shame. 

I hear the undistinguishable sounds again, saying, “Sofia, I’m an old God. You are in my dwelling place, and these are some friends. I have an offer for you. You can take it or not, you decide.”

Oh, he is God, it makes sense… “EEEEEHHHHHH!” What is this!? This seems fishy to me… What’s going on! I can’t hear someone laughing, but I feel someone giving me a warm smile.

“There is nothing to be afraid… I’m here to give you another chance in life.”

“What happened to my family? What happened to Minoru, my cat?” I screamed awkwardly, pointing and staring at everyone and everywhere.

“Your family will continue to live in their world. The police will contact your family to give them the news. Your family will regret this whole accident and understand how precious you were to them. They will find your diary and wish for things to be different. Your sister will take care of Minoru. They all will live a long life.”

“Thank you,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes, holding my cry. Even though I had the family that I had, I still loved them. I wish things could have been different.

“Sorry, so what am I doing here? What do you want from me?” Who are these people around us… I can see at a distance the figure of four sturdy creatures. They seem to be paying close attention to my movements.

“Let’s say there are other ‘gods’ causing trouble in a particular world. I want you to go to that world and help their people, while I send someone who you will help to destroy the 'trouble makers.' I cannot intervene directly. That would break my own rules, but I can equip you and send you help when needed. I want you to live your life to the fullest and train for the moment when the ‘hero’ will be born. Help the hero in his journey and together kill the ‘demon lord.”

“Uhm… of course… Wait! What! Will I be able to come back home? Or am I completely dead?” I don’t know who this voice is. Is he truly a god? Is he the good side, and the ‘demon lord’ is the bad side? What is this about the gods he is fighting against? Can I trust this god? Why is he sending me? Can he send someone better for the job? Why can’t he go himself? Do I have any other option? For now, I need to be careful.

“Please! Our people need you.” Said someone. I couldn't see his face. He was looking down at his knees, pleading for me to do as God said. 

“Please! We will forever be thankful,” another voice from the people kneeling. 

“Please,” “please,” “please.” All of them with their faces to the ground, pleading with me to accept this mission. I have always been bad under pressure. 

“suuuure, I will do it.” That was awkward.

The first person who spoke looked me directly in the eyes and thanked me. He has horns on his head and navy blue hair and eyes. The others in the crowd also had different animal-humanoid characteristics.

“Beautiful, thank you. Don’t worry, you will get to know me better. Additionally, if you were to die in your world, you would not be here. It's more like you were asleep and now you are awake again.”

“Okay, wait, what? sooo whaaaaat d-d-d-doo I-I-I-I haaav-veee” I felt like I was falling asleep, and I couldn’t see anything anymore. It felt just like when I was dying, but without the pain. What is this god doing to me! I heard him say thank you from a faraway voice. I could no longer hear anything, and everything was pitch black. I felt like I was floating in the air. But then I started to feel warmer, as if I were immersed in water. But somehow I was breathing. It felt like I was in a full-body massage. I have never felt my body feel so good. Then I started to hear many different sounds, including the voices of people talking in languages I couldn’t understand. But there were a couple of voices that I began to get familiar with.

Eventually, I felt like I was getting out of the water. And I felt pain. My body felt heavy. I was cold. I could not see; everything was blurry. I could hear the noises of joy everywhere. I felt irritated. I was crying and breathing heavily.

It hurts. I feel alive. I finally understood. I was born!

I heard indistinguishable voices, but one word was mentioned multiple times, “Cato.”