Prologue, Pt. 1

“Hearing it straight from you, we’re very sorry to hear about your parents.” The teen said to me with an apologetic look after I finished telling my circumstances of having to raise and look after my siblings without parents as the eldest child, and a family friend supporting us.

“Please, there’s no need.” I humbly replied to him, including the company of his kind. “In fact, my younger siblings will be in good hands.”

“They sure will. One of my assistants will make sure of it.” said the old man, causing me to let out a sad smile.

‘Besides Andre, my twin siblings will look after them. But what of my guns? I don’t like them to be sold for money like what happened to others.' Guns, I do own some for my personal collection after joining the fray of the changed World War 2 while the rest of the rare ones and prototypes, all of which not sold even once by family thankfully, I got them from the legacy of my family. My affectionate supportive younger sister who I doted on and looked after our younger siblings together with her younger twin brother, she’s likely to find the papers I stored in one of the secured cabinets which I told her in case something bad happened to me.

‘Priscilla, Aiko, I’m very sorry leaving you, our family, and friends sudden. I did not know my death will be this early. Your big brother leaves everything up to you for explanation.’ Sighing sadly at those thoughts, I looked at the unknown I’m currently in.

The room in question had no walls but tatami mats, portal, and fixtures such as the round table, grandfather clock, and a living winged medieval suit of armors who I would call a sort of golem to the likes of fantasy-genre stories, over the place as one I didn’t expect for the thing call a room.

Right now, I’m meeting the figures I never met before.

How I arrived in this place was like a painless death from my nap at the table.

The last thing I remember was I submitted a form before storing my uniforms and medals a week after finishing paperwork related to the job I had after weird things 10 years ago settled down.

So, when I arrived here earlier, I met this group of guys.

They’re gods, all of them the good ones without bad ones like some fantasy of one god becoming wicked and with one hero and the other gods killing the wicked.

As one of the non-religious and do not have religion, the kind of faithless who do not care what you think as long as one were useful and have abilities and desired traits in the spirit of fairness and meritocracy, and one was allowed to do in their duty and role, I was surprised to hear how friendly these god guys were.

They were not like the ones portrayed by my former world’s religions.

They were very different from them.

They were way a friendly and nice people, the very opposite of the ones depicted by my former world’s religions and its poor excuse of fanatics who had done nothing but trouble to society and innocent bystanders through their hypocrisy like some arsehole wanna-be priest who started troubles that cause his country experience a brain drain.

These gods, they’re my new friends already.

“Emmanuel,” called out the teen. “If there’s a need for request, we assure we will do everything we can. I know what’s it like to be that.”

“Thank you very much, Arvyn.” I thanked Arvyn.

“Anytime, Emmanuel.”

“Anyway, is it okay to call you Manny?”

“Sure. My friends, family and comrades call me that.”

“Well Manny,” said the old man who sat in the center of the round table as I then saw him stroking his beautiful beard. “I’ll give you a new life in another world.”

“A new life for me?” I asked, curious about the offer of starting over considering that my family will surely be fine without me around except some people I get to know in my childhood.

“That’s right.” replied the old man with his kind smile. “We'll also give you gifts in your new life. Think of it as a way for us to make up for your bad experiences in your former world.”

‘Gifts offered by the real deal gods, huh? This speaks isekai crap I read during my breaks.’ In my whole lifeline, I never bothered to take any offer from radical elements who did nonsense before and after the changes of the country when I saw weird things coming at the age of 18.

While the offer itself was an upstart, I decided to accept the offer with additional favors for myself to be at ease and prepared. The world was random so I needed a sense of security and protection for myself and others.

“Thank you.” I spoke. “If it’s okay for the world I will be living in, I would like to name things, the gifts you’ll be offering.”

“Sure.” answered the old man as he then glanced at the teen who smiled and nodded as they both turned and smiled at me. “Before we start, the world you’ll be living in, Emmanuel, unlike your former world, this one will have magic.”

“Magic, old man?” I asked, slightly interested in the world itself having magic and what’s the impact of it on society as a whole.

Arvyn, the teen beside him smiled brightly as he answered my question directed to the old man. “Yes, Emmanuel, magic like what your former world’s younger generation’s fictional anime and stuff.”

“Right...” I commented, knowing what the teen-looking god, Arvyn Snow, was talking about with myself, this type of older lass in his almost late 20s, 25, aware of those things before joining the Armed Forces Reserve, a military reserve force of my former allegiance, the Imperial States. “And what of the world there? What is the condition?”

“A somewhat medieval period with sword and magic and fantasy sprinkled on it.” replied Arvyn with his grin. “Anyway, the country you are about to live in does not have the thing called aristocracy. Just think of them, the holders of noble titles, as normal individuals with no powers in governance and politics.”

‘Sounds fine.’ I thought before looking at the old man who smiled.

“Okay, Manny, let’s get to the gifts.” said the old man. “Do name them.”

Smiling, I nodded my head as I then started to tell them those things.

“I saw what you did there when you were called to service, Manny.” commented Arvyn. “Instead of the scope, I’ll make a substitute for it in your eyes and senses. It’ll be included in the package.”

The more I explain, the more the gods become interested as Arvyn himself were all smiles.

“Granted.” said the old man. “Arvyn, now do your work.”

Arvyn nodded.

Ever since the day the man came into existence, he was all but surrounded by unknown dangers in the environment he entered. But when the man learned to invent an object, a weapon, a tool, for himself to survive, to feed, and to protect his family from danger, everything turned around as each man found ways to do something out of their desire with the newfound weapon as wars and killings sprouted for many centuries.

From where I came from, my parents, besides for protection, encouraged us to learn how to use it because it was part of our life since the days of my former country, the presently-renowned Imperial States, created after winning independence in my original timeline for the case of future invaders coming back to take our freedom and independence won on July 1,1823.

Watching the floating item taking a form and shape, I became more curious and at awe of how the creation process was done by their kind.

“Here you go, Manny.” delightfully said Arvyn, handing me over the floating familiar object suited to my specs and conditions.

That’s right, it’s a weapon --- a rifle, a tool in my eyes that could be a potentially dangerous one to ever live should it be invented, mass-produced, and used by the unqualified persons, oppressive tyrants and governments, and colonists from any kind of the world.

Depending on who holds it, it could be a weapon of a murderer or a weapon of protectors who would save a life from the threats with it.

The weapon in question, resembled the weapon I used and owned, the Type 1 EBR, my country’s derivative of the American M14 EBR, one of the weapons I was issued with before the Transition. Introduced during the first year of reign of the emperor before the Transition, the fine rifle to shoot for marksmen and shooting enthusiasts, the M14 derivative, in a nutshell was a modified and redesigned M14 chambered for 7.5x55mm bullets that had barrel length of 652 mm. During the time of my service and before the Transition, the rifle itself, my very first rifle from my childhood, I put down dangerous individuals (including tycoons) factually confirmed by the higher ups.

Taking the MK14 EBR derivative crafted by Arvyn, I thanked the teen-looking god, the old man, and the company of gods present. “Thank you very much, Arvyn, old man, everyone, for giving me the rifle and the perks.”

“You’re welcome, Manny.” said the old man with his small chuckle. “Now as part of the deal we discussed before your arrival, we decided to---”

‘WHAT!?’