Reincarnation | Prologue 1: "Stargrim Blackhand"

What’s happening? Where am I? Am I dying? I didn’t get to do anything with my life, down the drain.

“What if I give you another chance at life?”

“Who’s there,” I asked

“I’m the Goddess of Misfortune, Rekla. You are currently in what some would refer to as the afterlife or purgatory. I’ve seen your life of misery and misfortune. Cast out of your very home by your once loving caring father. You spent your whole life alone all by yourself. No one understood you. I can give you another chance if you want.”

“I’m ok. I would rather end all this suffering and get it over with. I’m nothing but a waste of space to anyone anyway.” I proclaimed as all my memories of my childhood flood back. I remember the faces of all those who roasted me and picked on me all my life. I try to blank it out as I hear the cop from earlier run to his car grabbing something from his back seat. I try to look in the direction but everything is blurry as everything around me slowly fills up with nothing but the void. My vision is blinded by a beautiful lady looking down on me from the heavens. She’s dressed in a black dress with a heart design displaying some cleavage. She’s sitting upon a throne of some sort with her gorgeous legs crossed with mesh stockings underneath her dress. She’s holding a wine glass seductively in her hand, messing with it as she looks down. “Are you that goddess, Rekla?”

She sips her wine as she ponders my question. “I am indeed, You have officially just passed on from the realm of the living. I'm truly sorry, It's really sad that only 25 years have passed. On top of that, you did jack shit with your life.”

You're not wrong, all I did was hide in my room. I shut myself off from society. I couldn’t take all the harassment anymore. I became a recluse that played video games or watched anime for 12 hours straight, jerked off, and went to sleep. That was my whole life in a nutshell. “I’m the definition of Sloth itself, I don’t deserve a second chance. Just let me pass on already.”

She looks at me with this look of concern mixed with kindness in her eyes. I can see that she cares about me. Her eyes give me this sense of ease and tranquility. “Is that truly what you wish? For me to leave and for you to pass on to the realm of the dead.”

“Yes, what’s the point of living? I have nothing here?”

“Who said anything about living here again? She rebutted.

“Here, do you mean?” Her face lights up slightly red as she grins.

A couple of hours earlier

I was a 25-year-old college dropout kicked out of my family’s home. I had nowhere to go as I walked down the cold rainy street. I wish I would have applied myself just a little bit more. Maybe my dad wouldn’t have thrown me out with anything but the clothes on my back.

“You wasted my money get the fuck out of here? I don’t want to ever see your worthless face again you hear m-” My dad was saying just before he started clutching his chest falling to the floor seizing up sending a chill down my spine.

“Dad are you alright?” I looked down as my dad clutched his chest. Thoughts kept rushing through my head. As I thought about my dad dying I couldn’t bear it. I panicked and quickly bolted out of the door. I didn’t know if I should get help or run away after all the stuff he told me. I just kept running until the thought was long past me. **Sirens blare as a cop car, and an ambulance rush past** I cover my ears as I walk down the street. I’m sorry dad I should have helped you.

“No, leave me alone you disgusting pervs!!” What was that I wondered as I looked across the street. I see 4 men in what appears to be gang-affiliated clothing lead a young girl down a dark alley. I knew what I needed to do but I couldn’t, not after what I had already done. Maybe someone else will help her? No shut up man! It's time to man up, that girl needs your help man. If I don’t do anything then who will. I take off across the street as cars honk narrowly missing me.

“Get the fuck out of the road moron!” one angry driver yelled.

“Do you have a fucking death wish?” said another driver.

I catch my breath as I peek down the dark alley. One of the men has her pinned against the wall. His hulking left arm with veins popping out blocks her from moving.

“Come on baby, show us what you got underneath that sexy skirt.” The man whispers into her ear as the woman screams for help. “Shut up you dumb slut!” **Rips off her school uniform shirt exposing her breast.** “Now that’s what I’m talking about am I, right boys.” The group of men chuckles as the one pins her pushing against the brick wall as he unbuckles his pants. She screams no but another man covers her mouth.

I think about that moment when I also couldn’t help her. I was scared in middle school hiding in a locker after getting beat up by some bullies calling me “Shrimp Dick”. I was crying as I heard two footsteps enter the classroom. It sounded like an older gentleman and a girl around my age. She kept saying “No” even as the man kept going. I didn’t know what to do. I was 12 at the time. I just covered my ears and tried to black out the sounds just like I am now. No, I need to do something. I can’t let what happened back then happen to another innocent person again. Monsters, that's what they are, I need to stop them. I take a deep breath as I bolt from around the corner screaming as I charge the men, one of the men whips out a knife as my life flashes before my eyes. I stop for a second and take a deep breath as the other 2 turn their attention to me. The main guy is still pinning the girl against the brick wall. I charge at them throwing a right hook which the knife guy dodges and stabs me right in the stomach. I cough up blood as it feels like a giant needle pierces several of my internal organs. I feel it pierce my intestines. Everything becomes dark and cold as I fall limp to the ground with a loud thud.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Some knight in shining armor guys hahaha” I hear them laugh hysterically at me. As I bleed out, my guts feel like they’re about to fall out. I hear the girl crying as they drag her off down the alley I try to reach out but a sharp pain hits my whole body I yelp a bit as I roll over to look at the sky. It’s beautiful all the stars shine bright and fill me a little bit with joy as I hear a police siren.

“Is this how I go? I didn’t do anything, I wasted half my life playing video games all day. At least I got to see the starlight again I’ve always wanted to go to-

“Here, do you mean?” Her face lights up slightly red as she grins.

“I can send you to wherever you want to go it’s all up to you. You need to say or think about it and it will be done.” The goddess Rekla replied with a face of glee.

Anywhere I want to go but I don’t know. I love magic and fantasy but I don’t know where though. I always did love Norse mythology I wonder what that would be like-

To Be Continued in “Second Chance”