The Cursed Puppet God

 When I opened my eyes, an endless, empty plain stretched out before me. I was in an open field covered in grass, yet there wasn’t a single tree, bird, or structure in sight.

 As I tried to process what I was seeing, my subconscious finally caught up and my hand instinctively moved to my neck.

 “It’s… there?" 

 So this is what death feels like, I thought. The afterlife had always been described to us so vividly, yet this vast emptiness had never crossed my mind as a possibility.

 “My, my… so you’re awake.”

 A woman’s voice echoed out of nowhere. Unwillingly, my thoughts returned to that voice the one that had laughed and told me to die. 

 All at once, my memories came rushing back. My body began to sweat uncontrollably, my hands trembling, yet I somehow found the courage to speak. 

 “W–Who are you? W–What do you want from me?”

 The owner of the voice suddenly appeared in front of me, smiling. Contrary to the mature tone of her voice, she was a girl no taller than 150 centimeters, with pink hair, a strange antenna-like object on her head, and clothing far too bold for her apparent look.

 “Who am I?” she said. “Ah, if you’re worried about that woman who kept shouting ‘die,’ don’t worry. She can’t come here or hear us.” She let out a small giggle.

 Hearing that eased me slightly. Still, considering everything I had been through so far, there was no guarantee that the girl standing in front of me wouldn’t cause another trauma. I was about to continue questioning her when— 

 “Sit down. I’ll explain what’s going on. You can ask your questions after I’m done.” 

 Before I could point out that there was nowhere to sit, two chairs and a table materialized out of thin air and positioned themselves neatly between us. 

 “First of all, you’re not dead,” she began. “But you also won’t be returning to the world where you lived your previous life. That woman is merely one of Esri’s shadows something like a robot, using your world’s terminology. She tried to kill you because the choices you’ll make in the future, and the relationships you’ll form, would eventually lead to her end.

 “She can see her own fate and the fate of others up to a certain point. She’s known as Esri The Puppet God. Or rather… these days, everyone calls her Esri The Cursed Puppet God."

 After saying that, she smiled again and paused, giving me time to process everything. 

 “It’s hard to believe everything you’re saying,” I replied, “But before you continue, I want to ask a few things.”

 She smiled gently, signaling that she was listening. 

 “Did you save me? Are you a god too? And if you did save me… why?” 

 The cheerful expression she had worn vanished in an instant. She wasn’t angry, but the sudden clarity in her eyes made me flinch. 

 “The answers to your first two questions are yes,” she said. “As for the third I can’t answer that right now. You’ll understand eventually. “

''Esri is forced to act through puppets. She cannot leave her own domain, and if she does, it would likely mean her end. Even then, her puppets can’t kill a human instantly. No matter how badly they destroy your body, they can’t kill you unless they absorb your soul. “And the strength of your soul is proportional to your will to live. That’s why I was able to save you.”

 I see… She still hadn’t said what kind of god she was. Even if I asked, it didn’t seem like she would answer. As for her third response ''you’ll understand eventually'' what exactly was I supposed to understand? 

 Just as I was about to continue, another familiar voice echoed in my ears. 

 The Alternate Void Dimension will close in 30 seconds. 

“It seems we’re running out of time,” she said. “I’ll give you my final warnings. You’re about to reincarnate into a brand-new world. You’re free to live however you wish. But—” 

 “But?” 

 Her expression hardened even further. For a moment, I genuinely felt like she might kill me herself. 

 “You are not the chosen one. Never forget that. If you do… this will be your end.” She giggled softly. 

 If you had seen her face when she said those words, you wouldn’t find even the slightest resemblance to the girl giggling now. 

 “Th–This ‘chosen one’ nonsense—” 

 “!” 

 Before I could finish my sentence, the world began to collapse. The soil and grass beneath us dissolved, replaced by a bottomless void.

 “We’ll meet again soon,” said the god who had saved me.

 She gave a small wave and without any effort at all, vanished from my sight. 

 Before I could even understand what was happening, everything turned into pitch-black nothingness once more. My vision faded. 

 As my consciousness slipped away, I thought about her words: The Cursed Puppet God, The Chosen One, and The world I was about to reincarnate into. There was far too much to think about. 

Still… she had said I was free to live however I wanted.

 That was, of course, assuming The Cursed Puppet God wasn’t still after me and that her words, “We’ll meet again soon,” didn’t mean what I feared they did.