[IRIDESCENT]

I would have thought of anything except finding the darkness of death familiar.

Yet here I am again, my second death.

Definitely worse than the first. To think that I never thought I could hit rock bottom worse than that... but here I am! Happy that the pain has stopped, once again. I'm sure this isn't the right feeling to have right after losing my life. I should be frustrated, scared, desperate. Ready to give anything to go back.

Perhaps from this point of view, the situation has improved. This time I'm sorrier to have lost my life, after all, a single choice decreed my death, not an entire existence chasing a destiny too bright for me.

Recount

What? Is there an angel there?

Do recount.

You don't seem to be the angel I'm familiar with

Recount your story. This is your last chance.

It's nothing special.

To stray away from fate is not an easy task, so yours cannot be a trivial tale. And I can't perform my duty without knowing your origin.

Are you the guardian of oblivion? I fucked up my mission, so the salvation pact with Arthesya is surely gone.

Do not utter such disgusting name in my presence.

O…ok. S…so, where should I start.

Do recount, how did you break away from your fate.

Honestly, I don't know. How can I understand the moment when everything went wrong?

Recall the time you cursed destiny. Recount how you got to that point. Do that, and our deal will be done.

So, you really are some kind of guardian to oblivion. Does oblivion even need a guardian? Isn't it supposed to be simply…nothing?

Nothing doesn't exist. Even the void which separates the living from the dead exist. And that's where you are now.

Huh…so what does Arth… maybe I should stop, something tells me that digressing like this will only get me into trouble.

Acceptable, now you can start, I'll lend you my attention and in exchange you'll tell me about the world you were born in.

Actually…my story does not really involve the entirety of my world. I was no one of note there…

A commoner was chosen to be reincarnated. Hardly the first time. It matters not with my powers.

Oh…cool?

Or maybe not, see, I really don't want to talk about this. But it is better than whatever expects me by getting you angry, at least this is what my gut tells me. So let me start from the beginning.

A trivial story of a failed human being.

*

Our story does not begin in a place like any other. From birth, my life was destined to be extraordinary. I was born in a state-of-the-art hospital, one of only a few in the world. Of course, at the time I couldn't imagine being any different from others; the way I grew up was my only normality.

I was raised by maids, who were tasked with fulfilling my every order, buying me any toy I wanted, and bringing me any delicacy I desired. The flip side of the coin was having to endure a life of solitude and rigidity.

You see, I was the daughter of an illustrious family. One of the richest in the entire world. Of course, from the perspective of a world where magic exists, money can seem like a relatively fragile power. One misstep, one calamity like the Fateless appearing in your living room, and your life is over, as it was for Count Khriem.

In our story, it's completely different.

You see, magic doesn't exist. On the other hand, we have highly advanced science... or at least I think it's highly advanced. The fact is, for science to work, you need to be able to do research, and for research to be done, you need money to fund it. So whoever has the money has the progress of the world in their hands.

This is not limited to technological advancement; those with money can decide who wages war and where, who receives treatment and who dies, which aspects of human life will be improved over the next few years and which will be worsened.

I did not know the magical world into which I was reincarnated very well.

But a probably apt comparison is this. Having money is like being an emperor, the difference being that you don't even have the target of your citizens on your back. You don't have citizens, you only have thousands of servants. And to keep your servants in check, all you need is to have others paid to repress them.

So, wealth in my world is omnipotence.

Or at least, on paper.

In reality, money is the true master of the world.

An icon created by humanity that has managed to enslave it.

It's not enough to have it, you always have to earn more, you always have to worry about future growth, always worry about strengthening your economic empire. I was born to be a piece in my father's stability project.

In fact, I was supposed to be a boy.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. My father didn't care, I was raised as a man, forced from a young age to repress my instincts, my feelings, my passions. From the beginning, I had to perform for that man. He could have had a son, but for some reason he had no intention of doing so.

In the solitude of my home, it was easy to mold me into exactly what he needed. His goal was to have me inherit everything, not because he wanted to leave me the keys to the kingdom, but because a young face for his business would help increase profits. That's what he told me.

I had to be a poster boy.

I didn't mind, I thought it was the classic role of a son. I thought that was my place in life and I saw nothing wrong with it. Without going to school, I couldn't see other parents and realize the love I was missing. The maids themselves were instructed to be cold to me, spoil me with things, and abuse me emotionally.

Yet something was wrong.

I felt a void in my heart.

I vented it in food.

This meant that I gained a lot of weight from an early age. It wasn't good, I started seeing nutritionists and dieticians from the age of 8, I was deprived of the only thing that gave me joy. And the worst thing was that it didn't work! My body never became what my father wanted it to be. The more I grew, the worse I got. I developed alopecia, brittle bones, and poor posture. I corrected the risk of being overweight by going to the other extreme and became anorexic.

“You're not presentable,”

My father always said that to me. I spent the first twenty years of my life trying to live up to his expectations. I failed constantly, until something broke. He decided he didn't need me anymore. I was free. But I no longer had a purpose.

So I locked myself in my room. I didn't go out for years. The only person I could talk to was the only friend I was ever allowed to have. A boy I had played with since I was little because he was the son of a friend of my father's. He started visiting me more and more often.

Maybe it's pathetic to admit that I fell in love with the only person who showed me affection, but that's what happened.

When you're starved for love, you find it where you can.

I was in love.

But I knew my feelings weren't reciprocated.

First of all, he saw me as a man. Then he was everything I wasn't: attractive, successful, charismatic. He didn't need to be with someone like me. So I decided to take advantage of his friendship until he got tired of me.

Eventually, he managed to get me out of the house. We started going out. Of course, my crush got exponentially worse. I ended up living only for those few moments when I was out with him.

And think about it.

One day he asked me to marry him.

I cried before I even answered.

It was sudden, I still couldn't call myself a functioning person, yet he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

Then I understood why.

My father had chosen him.

He was Plan B from the start, the guy I was to marry to maintain good relations with another billionaire family.

He asked me to marry him at the top of a beautiful tower in our hometown. There was a full moon, and the small balcony at the top was adorned with beautiful blue roses, my favorite color. I would have been happy. I just had to say yes...

But at that moment, I saw everything clearly.

My destiny was to be a pawn for my father. And I had always agreed. I could see my future as a happy wife, my father continuing his empire, everyone living happily ever after.

I never felt so disgusted.

My tears of joy became tears of rage. I asked my friend, my future fiancée if he could go take a tissue, I wanted to clean myself a little before replying. It was so stupid, thinking back on it. What good could a tissue do? I didn't even wear any makeup at the time, it was such a bullshit excuse to give to the man asking for your hand.

The moment I found myself alone, only one phrase could leave my lips.

"So, this is what destiny has in store for me."

And saying that, I decided that I wouldn't go along with my fate.

*

And that's it…

Trivial

Said so.

A trivial story…connecting to an interesting world.

You…liked my description of my world? My intention was to make it feel horrible.

It was appalling. Human greed left unchecked. Weakness transformed in strength through the use of deception, never have I felt so appalled by another reality.

You know, maybe this is a little too much… wait, what do you mean another reality.

We are still in Arthesya's world

Didn't you tell me that name was banned…

I'm disgusted saying it, but that's this place name.

So, you're not a guardian for oblivion?

Open thy eyes.

I don't have eyes.

Now you do

I open my eyes to see a frail, black body, surrounded by darkness. His hand stretches towards me, touches my forehead, I see his face. It doesn't have eyes, not a nose, not a mouth.

Your thoughts and your words are the same and here I hear all

You're right, sorry… but what are you?

My name is [-----]

W…what?

You can't hear it right? I guess the Goddess still has at least that much power left

Wait, I'm not dead then?

You are, but you are a soul disconnected from fate. That means you don't know how to reach for God's Kingdom. An angel will come for you in due time, but for a little bit, you're trapped in the limbo of whatever world you died in.

This means…I just have to wait for someone to come?

You won't, cause I got you and thanks to your story…I can make a deal.

What deal?

I'll grant you power.

But I have a question first. Something I usually don't ask.

Go on? I'm not sure I'll be qualified to reply though…

How did you reach here.

The Goddess should know about your world calamity. It's foolish to insert that wretched concept into her own reality. It can lead to the incineration of humanity.

What…do you mean?

I can see your reality, reach it through listening to your life story. And I can see the power that could destroy it. Often, those who defied fate that are sent here are from universes at the end of their trial…yours is till in the midst of it. And still, there's a calamity so appalling that it will be a miracle if it actually manages to survive till Judgment Day. The Goddess knows of my power, to have you come here means she knew you'll come to me eventually…and to insert that calamity in this world is utter madness.

My world doesn't have a concept for magic, how can it be that bad? I lived in this one for little time and still there were so many crazy things…mainly this evening. That nightmarish statue, the holy power of Lionheart…they would be considered superhumans in my reality. It's the stuff of fantasy, only books and tv series have that kind of freakish abilities…

Magic is a gift of the world.

Your science is a creation completely detached from the natural order of things.

This means it's not bound by any element intention; it's only bound by humanities objectives. It uses the natural elements as slaves instead of forming a pact to use them. And that means it can be as destructive as humans want it to be…and your world has found the way to make elements implode.

What?

You'll go back, wielding that same power.

Wait, why? Didn't you say that's dangerous? And what power is it? And, again, why? What do you stand to gain from all of this? And what will happen to me exactly? I was definitively dead last time, will I go back just to be in pain again?

No, don't send me!

Have you really not understood?

Evidently, not.

You are now a Fateless. I am the being that births them. As a father, I have no instruction, just your existence is bound to do me good.

Again, what?

I feel my body being lifted up higher and higher.

You didn't reply to the most important question though! Please, will I go back exactly where and when I died? Is that statue gonna be there? That thing one of your creations too, right? Can you tell it to leave me alone? Maybe if it could also leave a friend of mine trapped inside its powers alone?

I can't meddle with the actual living world, as I'm trapped here.

That means no help. Great, going back just to be killed once again. What a shitty life this Kaede has!

I'm sorry

Then please try doing something.

Not for you. For whatever killed you. I can't see anything past this void, the seal trapping me here is way too strong. I prove nothing for my creations, there's stories I liked more, stories I liked less, but at the end of the day, I only do this because there's nothing else for me to do. Fate is too strong in that world. People think sealing Arthesya freed them from their destiny, in reality the Goddess is not an arbiter of fate. They do not understand what fate is.

All of them are still bound by it, the noose it's even tighter than before. But even then, unleashing you upon the world does leave me sad for whoever's around.

Especially if it's a Fateless. As it's not easy task to die thrice.

I kind of feel like you're overestimating me. Maybe a repeat of my first life story would be useful, do you want to also hear how useless I was in the second too?

Your story matters little; it was just a means to an end. If it brings you a little joy, know that I emphasized with you, and I would have done the same.

It doesn't explain why you're so convinced that I will do so great once I go back.

You won't do great.

You'll be the worst calamity to ever happen to this world.

What's so bad about my boring world that makes you think so? Will I go back with a ton of cash? Doubt throwing money against a statue will do much to stop it from killing me again!

Oh, it means you're facing [MYTHO]

He was one of the most fascinating, yet weaker ones. Hear my words, he won't be able to stop you. No one could. There's just one other being capable of limiting the destruction your calamity brings, and just because it's the natural counter.

Yours is stronger. So, I feel pity for whoever's around, as they will all end up burnt to the ground.

Burnt?

Exactly, what power did you give me?!

Think about it, what's the great equalizer in your world. That thing that can bring mutually assured destruction. The weapon which could burn everyone to the ground and bring everything back to zero. You talk about money, they are subtle and powerful, but only while the true strength discovered by science sleeps.

Wait…you can't mean?

Your time is up.

Awaken and shake this world to its very foundation

I hereby grant you your new name. Glow [IRIDESCENT]