Prolouge: Trouble inside Nadadise (Nada meaning Nothing and Dise from Paradise.)

“Will I live to see tomorrow?”

“Will I ever find love?”

I found those questions meaningless, unnecessary thoughts. I had everything in the palm of my hand. Hell, I was lucky enough to live placidly. Until one day, I died at the hands of a rogue.

It was sudden and unexpected. How could the unbeatable hero die? I was Donovan Brovenhower, the chosen! I was unkillable, insurmountable, possibly all-knowing. Yet the comfort killed me, more specifically softened me.

Then I arrived inside the Medium, nicknamed Nadadise. This was the land of the Goddess (nicknamed Goli); nobody knew her true name, not even me. She berated me for a couple of decades, detailing all my actions thoroughly from birth to death. Then she spent a torturous year laughing and describing my death with details I never even knew.

If I'm lying I'm flying, and I'm still on the ground.

[34 years after the death of Donovan Brovenhower]

It was another blindingly bright day as always. Once again we had our awkward distance, me sitting on the floor and her atop her tiny wooden stool.

“Y'know, I just realized something.” I said. The Goddess turned to me, uninterested in what I had to say, again.

“Time really doesn't feel the same as it does on earth. Feels older in a way. Maybe because it's always this blindingly bright white. Or maybe because you don't have a damn thing to do here.”

She disregarded my theory with a shushing motion. I'm starting to feel tired of this place. Am I really stuck here forever?

“You don't have anything important to say? Just stupid small talk? Then you go on to insult my home. I'm sorry that my flow of time doesn't fit with mortals' perception.” She retorted.

With a flick of her wrist she made something appear in her hand. Akin to what those street performers did back home, making money and toys appear and whatnot.

“You like strategy games right?” She caught my attention with the offer. Damn, I ain't one to pass up an intellectual challenge.

“What about it? I guess you finally heard my pleas after-”

“34 years.” She finished.

“Yikes, it's felt like it's been a lifetime. Probably because it was my lifetime.”

I died at the age of thirty-four. I slew champions and grasped the essence of power. Yet I couldn't see someone who loved me until it was too late. How was I so blinded by pride? I wish I could go back.

“Anywho, c'mon get over here already.” Snapped out of my depressing thoughts. I saw that she had a typical chess board set up, with a bunch of small circles arranged strangely.

“What the fuck is this?” I said, staring at the plain pieces.

“This is checkers! Pretty cool huh!?” She smiled brightly. Isn't this just chess? Maybe it isn't as bad as I think.

“So how do I play?” I asked. Moving the pieces around to see if I could get a look at it.

“You move your pieces diagonally, then if you are like this, you can jump over an opponent! And if you can jump again, you can- blah blah blah blah blah.” She yapped on and on. Basically this is just a shit version of chess.

“I'll humor you. Honestly, just because I died stupidly doesn't mean I'm slow.” I grumbled as I sat down to play.

“Alright don't get cocky and cry when I beat you!” Let's just say, she didn't beat me.

The first couple hundred games there were banter, though I won every time. But after a couple thousand matches, I was tired of playing. I felt myself stop thinking and only moving.

I know we played for months per session. So after another win, I took a nap like always.

Then I woke up.

“Ahh. Morning.” I yawned at the goddess, who wore a strange new outfit and a bright mirror in her hand.

“Yo, it's about time.” Her attention finally came to me in a way never before. She seemed worried about something so trivial. Rushing over and locking eyes with me.

“What? Did I sleep for a few months this time?”

“Try around a century, dumbass.” She sighed with relief. But after this sigh, her normal self returned with a vengeance.

“Now stay awake from now on. I got things to do, so don't try anything stupid.” She said before leaving me for whatever she was doing. Leaving me to deal with myself.

Then due to the warped flow of time, we would talk once every week or two, sometimes every month or two. I think she started to feel my soul dying, because we started to talk on an almost daily basis.

I would talk the same way I normally did, but I didn't feel the same. To pass the time, I'd use my copied AllBeing. I would make things on my own. For instance, I explored the concepts of magic I normally didn't care for. After a couple of decades of that, I created magic scrolls, and even remade those trinkets the Goddess would toy with. Though they weren't as good.

Years turned to decades, decades to centuries, until I was asked-

457 years after the death of Donovan. 26 years after the rise of the War of Paltriness. The cry of The Numen begins.

“Do you wanna live again?” Goli said.

Why the hell would she tell me this after centuries? Of course, she would tell me this after I had no more spunk in me. What is she getting out of this?

“To answer your thought, oh failed hero. It's because the new hero needs a replacement. His death this early causes complications politically. I saw your soul lingering out and around me, and I decided you had reflected enough. Also, it was time for you to get the hell away from me.”

The last part slipped out in a whisper under her previous explanation. Of course, lip-reading is easy for me. The same way she read my mind without permission. But I digress.

I began to contemplate using whatever souls call a head, as I have no real form anymore. I went about 3 seconds before deciding that it's too trivial a matter.

No need for me to be elaborate anymore.

“I've been stuck here for the past, hell, I don't know how long exactly. But that's beside the point. I'm just some fill-in now!? I was the legendary hero!” I protested at the thought.

I tried to hang on to what little pride I had from my glory days.

“Legendary hero, my ass.”

“I can still send you flying.” With a flick of my ‘hand’, her hair and clothes treated the attack like a summer breeze.

In other words, it did nothing. My ‘borrowed’ powers seemed to be weakening. I remember counterfeiting it before the goddess revoked her power of AllBeing. This allowed us to create almost anything. I used AllBeing itself to duplicate the ability—but with so little time…

But during my reflection, she snapped her fingers. Swinging my ‘neck’ to attention, the space itself was molding toward her.

“You. The old legendary hero will become the new legendary hero.” As she spoke, a swirling light appeared where she snapped her fingers. I was familiar with the Peer skill. She could see anywhere in the world. Since mana wasn't an issue, it was used as entertainment for both of us. But there is a bigger issue at hand.

“I refuse.” Was she crazy? I just said I'm nobody's fill-in. I'm not just gonna go along with this bullshit! She continued her reincarnation sales pitch nonetheless.

“You get to come back to life. And you'll actually be likable this time. Want me to bring your party members back with you? The threats of the modern day and age aren't that troubling. I'll say it should take about 4 months to completely clear the world.” Listening to her briefly, I took in the situation.

She gazed into an orb of light to the naked eye, though in reality, she was looking through a portal of sorts. This wasn't a normal skill; Deity-Class Magic wasn't something that we would use, no matter the situation. She sat boyishly contrary to her appearance (which she normally tries hard to maintain), and contrary to her tone, she was pretty stressed. I caught inconsistencies like this.

“Alright then, what's the situation? My party members can have their jolly time in the place where good people go; I'll handle the task alone. Not like they would want another adventure with me anyway.”

“Well, I wasn't gonna send them with you anyway, especially after all the times you harassed the female members. But I can give you something else instead. Something greater than AllBeing. This is of the utmost importance to me. For the core is fraying.” She immediately admitted. It hurt, though. I know it wasn't the best thing to do, but my party members were something else.

Though the ‘greater than AllBeing’ caught my attention. Something stronger than the great power? No. It must have a catch. And what's this about a core? Seems like trouble I don't wanna get into.

“What do you gain from me doing this? Aren't there other heroes you can just summon instead?” I asked. Sounds way too good to be true.

“You can't use it casually. It must be used for the purest of good and utmost importance. Not just to fuel your abominable drinking problem and perverted errands.”

Finally, having had enough of my questionable past, I couldn't take it anymore.

“CAN YOU STOP BRINGING THAT UP? It's like you love to mention those incidents. It was once every blue moon! I didn't even succeed.”

“Because I never let it work! Even then, it was taxing to counteract my own ability. That's why I'm only doing this one. Maybe once you succeed, you can pass on to your personal better place…”

Quipping back, she murmured the last part. Exhaustion just from talking to me was piling up. But she didn't understand what she just put in the offer.

“I'm in.” Suddenly, her face screamed Wow, no hesitation from this ‘hero’. But if you imagine a heaven just tailored to your desires, you'd be as eager as well. So this really put the icing on the cake! Not like I planned on staying here any longer. Only a shitty ‘telekinesis checkers’ board and the same five bland foods we didn't even need to survive were the staples of this destination.

After a long silence, she processed the situation for some time. Once snapped out of her trance, she spread the bright sphere into a traditional portal. Then, she began her honorary parting speech.

“Good. Now I don't have to look at you twenty-four seven. But, quick warning.” I stopped myself. “You might feel a little pain. I'll heal it right up after you feel it.” Wha- Then I was forced off. A bright light greeted me peacefully until the portal came below me and morphed into black sludge. I was sent through the pit. Entering the body of the new hero.